The government is expected to report Thursday that the economy expanded at a 3.5% annual rate in the July-September quarter [dann würde, falls GS mit der Wisper-Number von 2,7 % richtig liegt (# 51512)t, eine Enttäuschungsreaktion einsetzen - A.L.] , the strongest quarterly growth in two years. Durable-goods orders increased at a 12.3% annual rate in the third quarter. Read full report.
Despite the recent increases, however, the level of new orders for big-ticket items during September was down 20.4% from the same month a year ago.
Shipments of durable goods rose 0.8% in September.
Inventories of durable goods fell 1% for the ninth consecutive month.
Details
Most sectors reported better bookings in September compared with August. Of note, orders jumped 7.9% for machinery, rose 3.7% for capital goods, and increased 10% for defense capital goods.
Orders for defense aircraft rose 12.5% in September. This offset a 2.1% drop in civilian aircraft. Earlier this month, Boeing Co /quotes/comstock/13*!ba/quotes/nls/ba (BA 47.58, -0.17, -0.36%) reported that it got orders for 20 planes in September compared to 32 planes in August.
Declining orders were seen in computers, communications equipment, electrical equipment and motor vehicles.
The monthly durables report is highly volatile, in large part because of swings in demand for civilian aircraft and other extremely expensive items.
Excluding a 1.1% rise for transportation equipment, durable orders rose 0.9% in September. Excluding defense, orders rose 0.5%.
Shipments of core capital goods -- a figure that feeds directly into calculations of gross domestic product - fell 0.2% in September.
Orders for electronics, excluding semiconductors, fell 0.2% in September.
Orders for fabricated metals were unchanged. Orders for primary metals rose 0.3%.
Orders for electrical equipment fell 0.9%.
Orders for defense capital goods rose 10%.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/durable-goods-have-healthy-rise-in-sept-2009-10-28