Durable goods orders to U.S. factories rose by 2.6 percent in February, the biggest gain since a jump of 5.3 percent last November, the Commerce Department reported on Friday.

The gain in orders for durable goods, big-ticket items expected to last at least three years, was propelled by a soaring demand for commercial aircraft.

Data showed that total transportation orders increased by 13.4 percent in February. During the month, orders for commercial aircraft surged 52.5 percent after having plunged 70.1 percent in January, but demand for military aircraft fell by 16.7 percent.

In addition, orders for motor vehicles dropped by 3.3 percent after a decline of 3.2 percent in January.

Transportation accounts for more than a quarter of overall durable goods, so any pickup in these orders has a significant impact on the total.

Excluding transportation, durable orders fell by 1.3 percent in February, the weakest showing since last July.

The 2.6 percent gain in overall orders in February was double the increase that economists had been expecting.

Source: Xinhua