By Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Orders for U.S.-made durable goods declined 1.3% in November, led down by transportation-equipment orders, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a decline of 0.5%. Excluding transportation, new orders rose 2.4%. Core durable-goods orders, which are orders for capital goods excluding defense and aircraft, rose 2.6% in November after a 3.6% decline in October. Shipments of durable goods fell 0.3% in November, while inventories rose 0.6%. Durable-goods orders in October were revised to a decline of 3.1% from a prior estimate of a 3.4% drop. Durable goods are expensive items designed to last three years or longer, and while the data is volatile from month to month, analysts see a trend in orders as a valuable leading economic indicator.
