U.S. durable goods orders increase much less than anticipated in June

The U.S. Commerce Department reported on Tuesday that the durable goods orders rose 0.8 percent m-o-m in June, following a revised 3.2 percent m-o-m jump in May (originally a 2.3 percent m-o-m climb). 

Economists had forecast a 2.1 percent m-o-m increase.

According to the report, the June gain was primarily attributable to the increased orders for transportation equipment (+2.1 percent m-o-m) and computers and electronic products (+1.0 percent m-o-m). Meanwhile, orders for durable goods excluding transportation edged up 0.3 percent m-o-m in June, following a revised 0.5 percent m-o-m increase in May (originally a 0.3 percent m-o-m advance), missing economists’ forecast for a 0.8 percent m-o-m gain.

Elsewhere, orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 0.5 percent m-o-m in June after a revised 0.5 percent gain m-o-m in May (originally a 0.1 percent m-o-m fall). Economists had called for a 0.7 percent m-o-m increase in core capital goods orders in June.

Shipments of these core capital goods went up 0.6 percent m-o-m in June after an unrevised 0.9 percent m-o-m growth in the prior month.

On a y-o-y basis, durable goods orders were up 26.8 percent, while orders, excluding transportation, were up 18.0 percent.