Investing.com - U.S. durable goods orders fell unexpectedly in March, while core orders plunged, official data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, the U.S. Census Bureau said that core durable goods orders, excluding volatile transportation items, fell by a seasonally adjusted 1.4% in March, compared to expectations for a 0.5% increase.
Core durable goods orders for February fell by a downwardly revised 1.7%.
Total durable goods orders, which include transportation items, tumbled by a seasonally adjusted 5.7% last month, worse than expectations for a drop of 2.8%.
Durable goods for February were revised down to a 4.3% gain from a previously reported 5.6% increase.
Durable goods are typically bulky or heavy products designed to last at three years, such as trains, computers or furniture.
Orders for core capital goods, a key barometer of private-sector business investment, rose 0.2%, missing expectations for a 0.3% gain and after falling 4.8% in February.
Shipments of core capital goods, a category used to calculate quarterly economic growth, inched up 0.3% last month, compared to expectations for a 0.8% gain, after rising 1.2% in February.
Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar was little changed against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.03% to trade at 1.2998.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock index futures turned mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.1%, S&P 500 futures indicated a flat open, while the Nasdaq 100 futures signaled a decline of 0.1%.
In a report, the U.S. Census Bureau said that core durable goods orders, excluding volatile transportation items, fell by a seasonally adjusted 1.4% in March, compared to expectations for a 0.5% increase.
Core durable goods orders for February fell by a downwardly revised 1.7%.
Total durable goods orders, which include transportation items, tumbled by a seasonally adjusted 5.7% last month, worse than expectations for a drop of 2.8%.
Durable goods for February were revised down to a 4.3% gain from a previously reported 5.6% increase.
Durable goods are typically bulky or heavy products designed to last at three years, such as trains, computers or furniture.
Orders for core capital goods, a key barometer of private-sector business investment, rose 0.2%, missing expectations for a 0.3% gain and after falling 4.8% in February.
Shipments of core capital goods, a category used to calculate quarterly economic growth, inched up 0.3% last month, compared to expectations for a 0.8% gain, after rising 1.2% in February.
Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar was little changed against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.03% to trade at 1.2998.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock index futures turned mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.1%, S&P 500 futures indicated a flat open, while the Nasdaq 100 futures signaled a decline of 0.1%.