U.S. durable goods orders bounce back in January

New orders for manufactured durable goods grew 4.9 percent to $237.5 billion in January 2016 following two consecutive monthly decreases, according to data from the United States Census Bureau.    New orders for manufactured durable goods in the United States bounced back in January following two consecutive monthly declines, according to an advance estimate from the United States Census Bureau.
   Durable goods orders grew 4.9 percent to $237.5 billion for the month after revised decreases of 4.6 percent in December and 0.5 percent in November.
   New orders for transportation equipment led the increase, jumping 11.5 percent to $79.7 billion after also falling for two consecutive months. Orders for transportation equipment fell 12.4 percent to $71.3 billion in December.
   The bureau noted that excluding transportation equipment orders, total new orders for durable goods increased 1.8 percent in January.
   Shipments of manufactured durable goods, which have grown in two of the previous three months, increased 1.9 percent to $241.9 billion in January following a 1.6 percent decrease in December. Transportation equipment, also up two of the last three months, drove the increase, according to the bureau, growing 5.7 percent to $80.0 billion.