US Durable Goods Orders rise 0.8% in March vs. 0.5% expected

• US Durable Goods Orders rose more than expected in March.
• The US Dollar Index clings to small daily gains above 98.50.

Durable Goods Orders in the US increased $2.6 billion, or 0.8%, on a monthly basis in March to $318.9 billion, the US Census Bureau reported on Wednesday. This print followed the 1.2% contraction recorded in February and surpassed the market expectation for an increase of 0.5%.

"Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.9 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 0.3 percent," the press release read. "Computers and electronic products, up eleven of the last twelve months, led the increase, $1.0 billion or 3.7 percent to $29.6 billion."

Market reaction

These data don't seem to be having a noticeable impact on the US Dollar's (USD) performance. At the time of press, the USD Index was up 0.1% on the day at 98.70.