U.S. durable goods orders fell 0.5% in April, reversing March's strong surge mainly on the back of falling aircraft orders, according to information released today by the U.S. Commerce Department.
But with volatile transport orders stripped out, durable goods orders picked up 0.5% in April, the second gain in a row after the winter's chill on the U.S. economy.
Overall orders for durable goods were estimated at $235.5 billion U.S. for the month, down slightly less than $1.2 billion U.S. from March.
The hike suggested that American and other manufacturers were becoming more optimistic about growth.
For the year so far, new orders in the U.S. were down 1.3% from 2014, with a key part of the reason slower economic growth abroad that has dampened export orders.
