Dollar gains after rise in US durable goods orders

NEW YORK: The dollar extended its gains against a basket of currencies early Thursday as stronger-than-expected data on US durable goods orders in January signaled resilience in business activity despite worries of the recent surge in the dollar hurting exports.

An index on the greenback's value against the euro, yen and four other currencies was last up 0.7 percent at 94.855 following back-to-back days of decline.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday orders on big-ticket items grew 2.8 percent, above the 1.7 percent increase projected by analysts polled by Reuters.

They rebounded from a 3.7 percent drop in December.