Durable Goods Were Up in December; New Home Sales Were Down 17.3% in 2006

In two separate releases, the Commerce Department showed some strength in manufacturing. House sales did a bit better in December, but were way below a year ago. Particularly relevant to Wichita, new orders for aircraft and aircraft parts excluding defense orders were up by $3.8 billion.
To quote the Wall Street Journal, "A surge in aircraft orders accounted for a large part of the gain, but orders for "core" capital goods excluding defense and aircraft were also up at a good clip."