U.S. factory orders increase 1.8% in December

Factory orders rose 1.8% in December, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were expecting a 1.5% increase. Durable goods orders climbed 2.4%, unchanged from from last week's initial estimate. Orders for nondurable goods increased 1.1%. In November, orders were revised to show a 1.2% decline instead of 0.7% as previously reported.