Durable Goods Orders Rise 0.8% in September

Durable goods orders rose 0.8% in September, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

Aircraft orders and defense bookings helped to unexpectedly push the figure up, Bloomberg reported.

Excluding transportation orders, bookings for goods meant to last several years decreased 1.1%, Commerce said.

Economists had expected orders to fall 1.1% after the 3.3% drop in August, and excluding transportation orders to fall by 1.5%, Bloomberg reported.

Durable goods include large items such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Trucking is a major beneficiary of durable goods manufacturing, hauling both components and finished goods.