New orders for durable goods rose 1.8% in September, according to a report released moments ago by the US Census Bureau. This represents an increase of approximately $6.3 billion, bringing the total to $345.4 billion. This compares to a 0.1% decline in August, while expectations had anticipated a 2.0% increase. Meanwhile, core orders, excluding transportation, rose 0.5% in September, compared to a 0.2% increase in August (the forecast was 0.6%).

Specifically, new orders excluding defense rose by approximately 2.2%. Transportation equipment, which has seen increases in the last two of the past three months, led the list of the most in-demand sectors, with an increase of $5.2 billion, or 4.6%, bringing the total to $119.8 billion.