US: Durable Goods Orders rise by 5.6% in December vs. 2.5% expected

• Durable Goods Orders in the US grew at a stronger pace than expected in December.
• The US Dollar Index stays below 102.00 despite upbeat data.

Durable Goods Orders in the US increased by 5.6%, or $15.3 billion, in December to $286.9 billion, the US Census Bureau announced on Thursday. This reading followed November's contraction of 1.7% and came in better than the market expectation for an increase of 2.5%.

"Excluding defense, new orders increased 6.3%," the publication further read. "Transportation equipment, also up four of the last five months, drove the increase, $15.5 billion or 16.7% to $108.1 billion."

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index is having a difficult time capitalizing on the robust data releases. As of writing, the US Dollar Index was virtually unchanged on the day at 101.68.