Durable goods orders soar 6.1% in March

Look for little coverage of this and non-stop coverage of gas prices. Wouldn't it be refreshing to actually have someone in the press make the correlation between the two? I'm not holding my breath.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Orders for new U.S.-made durable goods increased 6.1% in March, led by strong demand for airplanes, machinery and electronics, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The increase in new orders was the largest since May 2005 and far exceeded the 2.1% gain expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch.

Orders rose an upwardly revised 3.4% in February. Orders are up 12.2% year-to-date and have increased in five of the past six months.

The big story in March was continued strength in orders for civilian aircraft, which increased 71% in March after a 60% gain in February. Orders for airplanes are up 130% year-to-date, reflecting strong export sales by Boeing, in particular.

Excluding the 14% rise in transportation goods, new orders rose 2.8% in March, the biggest gain since August.

And then this....

Stunning 13.8% increase in new home sales