A Stern Glance

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods unexpectedly rose in February after a record six straight declines.

The Commerce Department says durable goods orders increased 3.4 percent last month, much better than the 2 percent fall economists expected. It was the first advance since July and the strongest one-month gain in 14 months.

The strength was led by a surge in orders for military aircraft and parts, but demand for machinery, computers and fabricated metal products also rose.

Still, the rebound was expected to be temporary given all the problems facing the economy, and a large drop in orders in January was revised even lower.