U.S. durable goods orders unexpectedly dip 0.1% in September
The Commerce Department said durable goods orders dipped by 0.1 percent in September after rising by a revised 0.3 percent in August.
The slight drop surprised economists, who had expected orders to rise by 0.2 percent compared to the flat reading that had been reported for the previous month.
A pullback in orders for transportation equipment drove the decrease, with transportation orders falling by 0.8 percent in September after climbing by 0.6 percent in August.
Orders for defense aircraft and parts showed a substantial decrease, plunging by 44.8 percent in September after jumping by 18.2 percent in August.
Excluding transportation, durable goods orders rose by 0.2 percent in September after inching up by a revised 0.1 percent in August. ■