U.S. Factory Orders Climb 2.1% In March

Orders for goods produced in U.S. factories rose 2.1% in March. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected orders to climb 2.4% after a revised 0.1% decline in the prior month. Initially orders for February were reported to have risen 0.2%. Orders minus transportation were unchanged in March. Orders for durable goods -- products meant to last at least three years -- jumped 4.4% in March, the Commerce Department said Monday. But orders for nondurable goods such as processed foods dropped 0.3%.