US government figures show that new orders for US durable goods slipped 0.8% in March, far less than the 1.5% fall Wall Street had expected.
Durable goods orders have now fallen for seven months out of the last eight, the Commerce Department said. The sole rise in that period, in February, has been revised down to 2.1% from the 3.5% previously reported.
New orders excluding transport slid 0.6% last month, compared with February when they rose 2%. Orders excluding military also fell 0.6%.
Non-military capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched signal of business spending, gained 1.5% in March after rising 4.3% in February.
