U.S. Durable-Goods Orders Rise 2.5 Percent

U.S. durable-goods orders rose 2.5 percent after falling 9.3 percent the month before, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

February’s rise after January’s previously estimated 8.7 percent decrease fell short of Wall Street’s 3.5 percent expectations.

Outside the volatile transportation sector — which rose 9.6 percent after falling 20.8 percent in January — durable-goods orders were down 0.1 percent, the fourth decline in the past five months.

Transportation orders rose 9.6 percent, reflecting a pickup in Boeing Co. business, after falling 20.8 percent in January. Orders for commercial planes increased 88.4 percent while military aircraft orders rose 29.2 percent.

Motor vehicles and parts increased by 1.3 percent.

Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, which economists point to as an indicator of future business investment, fell 1.2 percent. Shipments of those items, used to calculate gross domestic product, rose 1.2 percent after January’s 3.3 percent fall.

February inventories rose 0.2 percent after January’s 0.4 percent climb.