New orders for durable goods rose in September, paced by transportation equipment, the U.S. Commerce Department reported today.
Orders climbed $1 billion, or 0.4 percent, to $274.7 billion, according to a monthly report.
The department also revised its August figure to a 0.2 percent gain. August originally was reported as a 0.2 percent decline. With the revision, new orders have risen in six of the past seven months.
Excluding transportation, new orders slipped 0.5 percent. Excluding defense, orders new orders rose 1.4 percent.
The overall transportation category gained 2.1 percent to $90.4 billion.
Within the category, orders for new vehicles and parts increased 2.2 percent to $61.4 billion. Demand for large pickups and SUVs remains strong. Automakers are trying to smooth out supply chain issues stemming from a continuing shortage of computer chips.
Orders for commercial aircraft and parts soared 22 percent to $18.2 billion. Orders for defense aircraft and parts slid 32 percent to $4.48 billion.
Among other categories, orders for primary metals declined 1.7 percent to $20.3 billion. Orders for fabricated metal products slipped 0.4 percent to $36.7 billion. Orders for machinery fell 0.4 percent to $38.7 billion.
The report is based on a survey of about 3,100 companies.
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