US durable goods rise in April

New orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods continued to post solid gains in April, boosted by demand for transportation equipment, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Orders for durable goods increased 0.8 percent to 239.9 billion U.S. dollars in April following an upwardly revised growth of 3.6 percent in March. It was the third consecutive monthly rise. Orders for transportation equipment rose 2.3 percent. Demand for commercial aircraft, a volatile month-to-month category, fell 4.1 percent after rising 11.3 percent in the previous month. Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a gauge for business spending plans, also decreased 1.0 percent in April after a 1.8 percent drop in March. Excluding the volatile transportation sector, new orders for manufactured durable goods increased 0.1 percent in April.