WASHINGTON — A rebound in demand for commercial aircraft lifted April orders for big- ticket goods, further evidence that manufacturers are helping to drive the economic recovery.
Requests for durable goods increased 2.9 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. It was the best showing in three months and more than double expectations.
Excluding transportation, orders in the highly volatile manufacturing sector fell 1 percent. But that came after the March figures were revised to show a 4.8 percent jump.
A durable good is a product expected to last at least three years, such as a refrigerator.
U.S. companies are benefiting from rising demand at home and in major export markets.
Economists say the U.S. manufacturing industry may be strong enough to weather fallout from debt troubles in some European countries.
“April’s durable-goods-orders figures demonstrate that, despite the fiscal meltdown in Europe, the recovery in the American manufacturing sector is still gathering momentum,” said Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics.
