Durable goods orders increased 3.3% in September

Inventories rose for the ninth month in a row

Durable-goods orders increased by 3.3% to a seasonally adjusted $199.16 billion, the Commerce Department said today. This as the biggest rise since January and was primarily due to an increase in aircraft and aircraft parts.

New orders for aircraft and parts doubled to $12.85 billion in September.

Overall transportation equipment orders rose 15.7% to $54.77 billion in September.

Shipments of manufactured durable goods fell 0.4%. And inventories rose for the ninth month in a row, gaining 0.5%.

Durable goods orders are products such as appliances that are designed to last more than three years.