WASHINGTON: New orders for US durable goods recovered in April after March's slump, led by transportation equipment orders, government data released on Friday showed.
After a sharp 5.9 percent drop in March, new orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rose 3.3 percent to $222.6 billion, the Commerce Department reported.
The rebound was twice as strong as analysts expected and pointed to continued growth in the manufacturing sector.
Transportation equipment led the advance, increasing 8.1 percent to $67.6 billion, the department said. Commercial aircraft and parts orders drove the gain with a $1.9 billion rise.
Excluding transportation orders, which can be volatile month-over-month, new durable goods orders were up 1.3 percent.
Excluding defense, orders were up 2.1 percent.
Computer and electronic products orders rose 3.6 percent, while orders for computers dropped 3.7 percent.
Orders were marginally higher on a 12-month basis, up 0.7 percent from April 2012.
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