Durable goods orders plunged 5.1% in December, more than expected.
Expectations were for the report to show orders fell 0.7% in December after orders were flat in November. November's number was revised to show a 0.5% decline.
This was the fourth decline in the series in five months.
This is a series tabulated in nominal dollars, and so the decline is expected to largely reflect the impact that the strong dollar has had on import prices. Namely: they've gone down.
Excluding aircraft and defense orders, orders fell 0.2% against expectations for a 0.8% increase.
More to come ...