Encouraging

[stevenash]

WASHINGTON--Demand for long-lasting U.S. factory goods remained robust last month, pointing to ongoing strong business investment.

New orders for durable goods--products designed to last at least three years, like dishwashers and aircraft--rose a seasonally adjusted 2.2% in September from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. New orders are up 5.2% in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period in 2016.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected overall orders to increase 0.8% in September from the prior month.

 

WASHINGTON--U.S. new-home sales rose in September to the highest level since October 2007, a sign of strong buyer demand despite ongoing tightness in inventories.

Purchases of newly built single-family homes--a narrow slice of all U.S. home sales--increased 18.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000 in September from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. This marks the highest month-over-month percentage increase since January 1992