US: New orders for manufactured durable goods in Aug increased 1.7% to $232.8 bln

"New orders for manufactured durable goods in August increased $3.9 billion or 1.7 percent to $232.8 billion," the U.S. Census Bureau said on Wednesday.

Key quotes:

• This increase, up two of the last three months, followed a 6.8 percent July decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.2 percent. Excluding defense, new orders increased 2.2 percent.
• Transportation equipment, also up two of the last three months, led the increase, $3.6 billion or 4.9 percent to $77.4 billion.
• Shipments of manufactured durable goods in August, up three of the last four months, increased $0.7 billion or 0.3 percent to $237.2 billion.
• This followed a 0.1 percent July increase. Machinery, up nine of the last ten months, led the increase, $0.3 billion or 1.1 percent to $31.4 billion.
• Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in August, up two of the last three months, increased $0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $1,132.3 billion.
• This followed a 0.3 percent July decrease. Fabricated metal products, up seven of the last eight months, drove the increase, $0.5 billion or 0.6 percent to $79.3 billion.