Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket
manufactured goods rose by a solid amount
in February, but the gain came before the
coronavirus had shut down much of the country.
The Commerce Department said durable
goods orders rose 1.2% last month, rebounding
from January when orders had shown a tiny
0.1% gain.
However, with all the shutdowns that have
occurred as authorities try to deal with the
coronavirus, economists are looking for weak
reports in coming months.