The Census Bureau reported that new orders for core capital goods (which exclude volatile series on aircraft, parts for aircraft, and defense goods) were up just 0.2 percent in December, while new orders were down 4.3 percent from December 2012's level.
The headline new orders figure for all durable goods (including aircraft and parts and defense) was up much more considerably over the month, rising 4.6 percent.
Additional detail:
- Gains in core capital goods orders over the month came from industries such as communications equipment (up 5.7 percent) and an 11.9 percent monthly gain in new orders for transportation equipment.
- Drags on the overall core capital goods orders figure came from computers and related products (down 0.5 percent) and electrical equipment, appliances, and components (down 2.4 percent).