US Durable Goods Orders rise 0.2% in August vs -0.5% expected

• Durable Goods Orders in the US rose modestly in August.
• US Dollar Index stays in positive territory, closes in on 106.50.

Durable Goods Orders in the US rose 0.2%, or $0.5 billion, to $284.7 billion in August, the US Census Bureau reported on Wednesday. This reading followed the 5.6% decline (revised from 5.2%) recorded in July and came in better than the market expectation for a decrease of 0.5%.

"Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.4%," the press release read. "Excluding defense, new orders decreased 0.7%. Machinery, up four of the last five months, led the increase, $0.2 billion, or 0.5%, to $37.8 billion."

Market reaction

The US Dollar preserves its strength after the data. As of writing, the US Dollar Index was up 0.2% on the day at 106.40.