A new government report says orders for certain U.S. goods rose in February, increasing for a third consecutive month.
The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for so-called durable goods were up 0.5 percent in February, led by a jump in orders for airplanes and machinery.
Durable goods are items meant to last several years or more, and orders for such items are seen as a good measure of the country's economic health.
The Commerce Department also said that orders for durable goods were stronger in January than previously thought, rising 3.9 percent, more than the 2.6 percent increase initially reported.
Officials also said that inventories of durable goods rose three-tenths of a percent, the biggest gain since December 2008.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
