U.S. durable goods orders tick up in March

New orders for manufactured durable goods grew 0.8 percent to $230.7 billion in March 2016 following a revised 3.1 percent monthly decrease in February, according to data from the United States Census Bureau.    New orders for manufactured durable goods in the United States ticked up in March 2016 after falling in three of the last four months, according to an advance estimate from the United States Census Bureau.
   Durable goods orders grew 0.8 percent to $230.7 billion for the month following a revised decrease of 3.1 percent monthly decrease in February. January durable goods orders showed 4.3 percent growth, but came on the heels of a 4.6 percent decrease in December 2015 and a 0.5 percent decline in November.
   New orders for transportation equipment led the increase, rising 2.9 percent to $76 billion, after a 6.7 percent drop to $73.8 billion in February.
   The bureau noted that excluding transportation equipment orders, total new orders for durable goods slipped 0.2 percent in March.
   Shipments of manufactured durable goods, also down in three of the last four months, fell 0.5 percent to $237 billion in March following a 1 percent decrease in February. Transportation equipment drove the decrease, according to the bureau, falling 1.8 percent to $77.5 billion.