Investing.com - U.S. durable goods orders rose much more than expected in June, easing concerns over the health of the economy, official data showed on Thursday.
Total durable goods orders, which include transportation items, jumped by a seasonally adjusted 6.5% last month, blowing past forecasts for a rise of 3.0%, the Commerce Department said.
Orders for durable goods in May fell 0.1%, whose figure was revised from a previously reported decline of 0.8%.
Durable goods are typically bulky or heavy products designed to last at three years, such as trains, planes and automobiles.
Core durable goods orders, excluding volatile transportation items, increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in June, missing expectations for a gain of 0.4%. Core durable goods orders rose 0.6% a month earlier.
Orders for core capital goods, a key barometer of private-sector business investment, declined 0.1% last month, disappointing forecasts for a gain of 0.3% and following a rise of 0.7% a month earlier.
USD/JPY was at 111.39 from 111.34 earlier, EUR/USD was trading at 1.1696 from around 1.1699 ahead of the release of the data, while GBP/USD was at 1.3144 from 1.3146 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 93.55, compared to 93.53 ahead of the report.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,263.85 a troy ounce, compared to $1,263.08 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $48.42 a barrel from $48.47 earlier.