US Durable Goods Orders decline 4% in July vs. -5.2% expected

• Durable Goods Orders in the US fell at a stronger pace than expected in July.
• US Dollar Index stays in positive territory above 103.50.

Durable Goods Orders in the US fell 5.2%, or $5.2 billion, to $285.9 billion in July, the US Census Bureau reported on Thursday. This reading followed the 4.4% increase (revised from +4.7%) recorded in June and came in worse than the market expectation for a decrease of 4%.

"Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.5%," the press release further read. "Excluding defense, new orders  decreased 5.4%. Transportation equipment, also down following four consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $16.4 billion or 14.3% to $98.7 billion."

Market reaction

Despite the disappointing data, the US Dollar preserves its strength on Thursday. As of writing, the US Dollar Index was up 0.4% on the day at 103.77.