US durable goods orders grow for 3rd straight month in January

Demand for core durable goods in the US continued to grow for the third successive month in January, signaling continued momentum for corporate capital spending at the start of 2025.

Core durable goods orders - which excludes volatile items such as transport and defense equipment - rose 0.8% in January, after climbing by 0.2% in a revised down December 2024 reading, according to data released by the Commerce Department today, Feb. 27.

Total orders rose 3.1% to $286 billion last month, following a 1.8% decline in the revised December 2024 reading, and compared to the 2% hike projected by Wall Street Journal analysts.

Excluding only transport equipment, such as cars and aircraft, total durable goods orders remained unchanged from the December 2024 level.

Meanwhile, orders for transport equipment soared by 9.8% to $96.5 billion, maintaining growth for the third consecutive month.