U.S. Core Capital Goods Orders Rise Less than Expected

Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 0.9% last month, the Commerce Department said on Monday. These so-called core capital goods orders fell 0.8% in February after bitterly cold temperatures gripped large parts of the country.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders increasing 1.5% in March.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Edmund Blair)