Orders placed with US factories for durable goods rose more than expected in May, suggesting business investment so far remains firm even in the face of rising interest rates and mounting concerns about the economy.
Bookings for durable goods -- items meant to last at least three years -- increased 0.7% in May after a revised 0.4% advance a month earlier, Commerce Department figures showed Monday. The figures aren’t adjusted for inflation.
The value of core capital goods orders, a proxy for investment in equipment that excludes aircraft and military hardware, rose 0.5% after a 0.3% gain a month earlier.
The median estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 0.1% increase in orders for all durable goods and a 0.2% gain in the core figure.
The broad pickup in orders suggests capital investment was firm in May even as more recent manufacturing data have started to show signs of softening. Several regional Fed measures of economic activity deteriorated or outright contracted in June, including in New York state and the Philadelphia area.
S&P Global’s manufacturing output index also sunk into contraction territory, stymied by high prices, weaker demand and materials shortages. So did new orders.
The economic outlook has dimmed, with some businesses growing cautious in the wake of aggressive policy action by the Federal Reserve and heightened recession odds. Meantime, Americans are pulling back on merchandise spending.
