Orders for durable goods rose in December, paced by transportation equipment, the U.S. Commerce Department said today.
Orders increased 5.6 percent from the month before to $286.9 billion. The gain followed a 1.7 percent decline in November. Orders have risen in four of the past five months.
The transportation category surged 17 percent to $108.1 billion.
Within the sector, orders for commercial aircraft and parts more than doubled to $28.9 billion. Makers of commercial planes have been recovering from the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic when airlines canceled orders.
Demand for air travel has rebounded since. Boeing Co., which reported fourth-quarter and year-end financial results on Jan. 25, said its commercial aircraft deliveries increased by 41 percent in 2022 from the year before. Boeing is boosting deliveries of 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner planes, two programs that incurred manufacturing and safety issues.
Orders for defense aircraft and parts rose 15 percent to $5.65 billion, according to today’s report. Orders for motor vehicles and parts gained 0.7 percent to $62.3 billion.
The auto industry continues to see strong demand for trucks and SUVs. Automakers and their suppliers have sought to smooth out disruptions caused by a continuing shortage of computer chips.
Excluding transportation, orders decreased by 0.1 percent. Orders for transportation equipment have risen for four of the past five months. Excluding defense, orders increased by 6.3 percent.
In other categories, orders for fabricated metal products rose 0.3 percent to $36.45 billion. Orders for machinery slipped 1.7 percent to $38.3 billion. Orders for primary metals fell 0.3 percent to $20 billion.
The report is based on a survey of about 3,100 companies.
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