US durable goods end streak of gains in Feb

Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods fell for the first time in five months in February amid a slump in business for civilian aircraft manufacturers, US government data said Thursday.

The Commerce Department said durable goods orders fell 2.2 per cent last month, more than expected and a sharp turnaround from the 1.6 per cent increase seen in January.

The decline was driven by a shortfall in transportation equipment, which dropped 5.6 per cent, and much of that was caused by a 30.4 per cent decline in nondefense aircraft and parts, such as Boeing's jets, the data said.

Orders for motor vehicles and parts, whose manufacturers have struggled to obtain scarce semiconductors, fell 0.5 per cent.