Washington. Orders for durable manufactured goods in the United States rose more than expected in February, while business investment in equipment appeared to improve in the first quarter.
The manufacturing sector remains constrained by rising interest rates, which have slowed demand for goods. But the outlook for the sector, which represents 10.3 percent of the economy, is steadily improving amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting rates this year.
Furthermore, the manufacturing sector represents an important part of the integration of the Mexican economy with the US economy, so the health of its indicators has a direct impact on Mexico.
Orders for durable goods, ranging from toasters to airplanes, intended to last three years or more, rose 1.4 percent last month amid increases in orders for transportation equipment and machinery, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. of the Department of Commerce.
January data was revised downward to show a drop in orders of 6.9 percent, instead of the 6.2 percent previously announced. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 1.1 percent rise in durable goods claims.
Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched indicator of companies’ spending plans, rose 0.7 percent in February after falling 0.4 percent the previous month.
Stability in consumer trust
U.S. consumer confidence was little changed in March as fears of a recession took a backseat to growing concerns about the country’s political environment ahead of November’s presidential election, a survey showed yesterday.
According to the Conference Board, the consumer confidence index fell to 104.7 this month, virtually unchanged from 104.8 in February, which had been revised downward.