Wall Street Journal (04/23/15) Josh Mitchell

Orders for durable goods rose a seasonally adjusted 4.0% from February to March, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, but durable-goods estimates are often revised, and broader trends show weak demand. The decline in February of 1.4% was unrevised. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast overall orders would increase 0.6% in March.

The March increase reflected a surge in demand for automobiles and both defense and civilian aircraft, which are volatile categories. Excluding the transportation category, orders fell 0.2%, the sixth consecutive monthly decline. So far in 2015, orders have risen 0.1% year-to-year.