Bloomberg (02/27/13) Alex Kowalski

Orders for U.S. durable goods excluding transportation equipment climbed in January by more than they have over the past year, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. The increase in orders indicates that businesses intend to expand capacity. Bookings for goods meant to last at least three years—minus such things as aircraft—rose 1.9%, exceeding all forecasts of the economists surveyed. Meanwhile, orders for capital goods excluding defense and aircraft rose 6.3% in January, the most since December 2011, and machinery bookings rose 13.5% in January from the previous month, the most since May 2010.