Factory Orders Climb, Jobless Claims Up

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New orders for U.S.-made durable goods rose an unexpectedly weak 0.3 percent in February after falling sharply the month before, and claims for jobless aid rose last week, signs the U.S. economy might be “softer” than economists had anticipated.


The increase in February pushed up the total value of new bookings for durable goods to $200.8 billion. The rise in orders came after a 1.1 percent drop in January, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.


A separate report from the Labor Department showed the number of U.S. workers seeking first-time unemployment benefits climbed last week by 3,000 to 324,000. Analysts had expected claims to fall to 315,000.


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