By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Orders for U.S.-made durable goods rose 2.7% in January on stronger demand for civilian aircraft, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The increase in total orders was very close to the 2.5% gain that was the consensus forecast of economists polled by MarketWatch. This is the first increase in durables in four months. Orders for December were revised up sharply to a decline of only 0.4% from the prior estimate of a 2.3% decline. Transportation orders had the largest increase in January, rising 27.6%. Excluding transportation, orders fell 3.6%, the biggest drop since January 2009. Shipments rose 0.3% in January. Orders for core capital goods fell 6.9% in the month after a 4.3% rise in December.
