New U.S. orders for durable goods slipped 0.8 percent in March, far less than Wall Street expected, Commerce Department data showed on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast orders for long-lasting manufactured goods to drop 1.5 percent. Durable goods orders have now fallen for seven months out of the last eight, the Commerce Department said. The sole rise in that period, in February, has been revised to 2.1 percent from the 3.5 percent previously reported. New orders excluding transportation slid 0.6 percent last month, compared to February when they rose 2.0 percent. Orders excluding defense also fell 0.6 percent, after rising 0.2 percent in February. Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending, gained 1.5 percent in March after rising 4.3 percent in February.

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