New orders for durable goods in the United States increased significantly in September, reinforcing expectations of a faster pace of economic growth in the third quarter.

New orders for key capital goods in the United States experienced a significant increase in September, while shipments of related equipment also saw a notable growth, strengthening market expectations for an acceleration in the U.S. third-quarter economic growth. Data released on Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau of the Commerce Department showed that orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft (an important indicator of whether businesses are willing to expand production and invest) surged by 0.9% in September, following an upwardly revised 0.9% gain in August. This performance far exceeded market expectations. Economists surveyed by the media had initially predicted that such "core capital goods orders" would only increase by 0.2% in September, as the previous increase in August was only 0.4%. The report was delayed to this week due to the 43-day government shutdown. Shipments of machinery and equipment used for production also jumped by 0.9% in September, reversing a slight decline in August. Equipment orders have been fluctuating significantly this year, mainly due to businesses having to deal with the large-scale import tariffs implemented by former President Trump. Multiple business surveys have shown that these tariffs have impacted manufacturing activities, with manufacturing accounting for about 10.2% of the U.S. economy. However, the investment boom brought about by artificial intelligence is driving growth in certain areas of the manufacturing sector against the odds. In the first half of this year, U.S. businesses showed strong investment in equipment. Economists generally expect that business equipment investment will remain robust in the third quarter. The latest forecast from the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank indicates that the U.S. GDP annualized growth rate in the third quarter is expected to reach 4.0%, significantly higher than the 3.8% in the second quarter. The government stated that the delayed third-quarter GDP report due to the government shutdown will be released on December 23. In the broader durable goods sector, which covers goods ranging from household appliances to airplanes that can last for more than three years, overall durable goods orders in the U.S. increased by 0.5% in September, following a strong 3.0% increase in August, showing continued growth. Although orders for non-defense aircraft and parts decreased by 6.1% in September, data from the Boeing Company website showed that the company received 96 aircraft orders in that month, significantly higher than the 26 in August, indicating that demand in the aviation sector remains resilient. Supported by the ongoing recovery in business equipment investment, continued growth in durable goods demand, and the investment boom in artificial intelligence, the U.S. economy demonstrated a momentum of accelerated expansion in the third quarter. The market is eagerly awaiting the year-end GDP data to further confirm whether the economic momentum is continuing to strengthen.