manufacturing sector's recovery resumed with gusto after stalling in June.
The Commerce Department reported that orders for goods made to last three years or longer big ticket items such as
cars and computers rose 8.7 per cent to $179.7 billion following a revised 4.5 per cent drop in June.
Economists expected durable goods orders to rise 1.4 per cent, according to Briefing.com.
It was the biggest jump for durables since a 9.2 per cent gain in October 2001, the month in which economic activity
returned more or less to normal following the shock of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Excluding orders for defence goods, new orders jumped 7.3 per cent in July, the biggest gain on record. Excluding volatile
orders for transportation, new orders rose 3.9 per cent.
