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New orders for US manufactured capital goods increased by 0.6% in December, following a revised 0.8% rise in November. Shipments surged 0.9%, indicating strong business spending on equipment. The data, impacted by an AI investment boom, points to a solid economic growth forecast for the fourth quarter, with expectations of a 3% annualized growth rate.

Durable goods orders decreased 1.4%, primarily due to a drop in non-defense aircraft orders. Overall housing starts increased by 6.2% in December, reaching a rate of 1.404 million units.