U.S. FEB DURABLE GOODS ROSE 6.0 PCT

  New orders for durable goods
  received by U.S. manufacturers rose 5.7 billion dlrs, or 6.0
  pct, in February to 101.2 billion dlrs, the Commerce Department
  said.
      Excluding defense, orders rose 3.8 pct, compared with a
  revised January decline of 7.7 pct.
      In January, durable goods fell a revised 9.9 pct instead of
  the previously reported 7.5 pct. Durables excluding defense
  were reported originally as having fallen 9.9 pct in January.
      The Commerce Department on Monday revised orders statistics
  for 1982 to 1986 to reflect more current inventory valuation
  methods, and the February orders statistics are consistent with
  the revisions, officials said.
      The February order increase was led by transportation
  equipment, up 11.1 pct after an 18.0 pct decline in January.
      Orders for defense capital goods rose 48.9 pct to 6.9
  billion dlrs, following a 38.8 pct decline in January.
      Non-defense capital goods orders fell 1.6 pct in February
  to 26.3 billion dlrs after falling 8.7 pct in January, the
  department said.
      Electrical machinery orders rose in February by 8.2 pct to
  17.2 billion dlrs after falling 15.4 pct in January.
      Primary metals orders were up 13.9 pct to 8.4 billion dlrs
  after a 20 pct decline in January, the department said.
      New orders for non-electrical machinery were up in February
  by 3.9 pct to 16.6 billion dlrs after a three pct orders
  decline in January.
  

