WASHINGTON, March 24 (UPI) -- U.S. durable goods orders rose slightly in February, enough to call it the third consecutive month orders rose, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
New orders rose 0.5 percent in February, shy of the consensus forecast of a 0.9 percent rise and short of January's 3 percent increase.
Gains were inconsistent with a 1.9 percent drop in new vehicle orders and a 0.6 percent drop in orders for computers. Non-defense aircraft orders rose 32.7 percent after a surging 134.9 percent gain in January from December.
Total orders for durable goods, defined as goods expected to last a minimum of three years, rose $900 million to $178.1 billion.
Excluding transportation, orders rose 0.9 percent, ahead of the consensus forecast of a 0.6 percent rise.
Minus the often fluctuating category of defense spending, new orders rose 1.6 percent, the department said.
Shipments of durable goods fell for the second consecutive month, dropping 0.6 percent to $179.8 billion. Unfilled orders rose 0.4 percent to $722.1 billion a month after ending a record streak of 15 consecutive months of declines in January.
Durable goods inventories also rose for the second consecutive month, increasing 0.3 percent to $303.9 billion.
