The Commerce Department says demand for durable goods rose 1.8 percent last month, far better than the 0.6 percent decline that economists expected. It followed a similar 1.8 percent rise in April, with both months posting the best performance since December 2007, the month the recession began.
Orders for non-defense capital goods, a key proxy for business investment plans, jumped 4.8 percent, the biggest increase since September 2004. Demand for commercial aircraft, machinery and computers all rose sharply.
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