Durable goods orders

Durable goods orders measure the new orders placed each month with US factories for goods built to last at least three years: aircraft, cars, machinery, household appliances. The Census Bureau publishes this advance report nearly four weeks after the month it covers, at 8:30 a.m. New York time, which is 2:30 p.m. in Paris most of the year. The headline figure is very volatile, because it depends on aircraft orders: in September 2026, according to the advance report, orders for civilian aircraft jumped 28.4%, and the total rose 1.8%, compared with 0.5% excluding transportation. Markets therefore watch two more stable versions: orders excluding transportation and capital goods excluding defense and aircraft (core capital goods). The latter serve as a leading indicator of business investment in equipment, a component of GDP. The full factory orders report, about a week later, can revise these figures. Upcoming releases: the economic calendar.