INVESTMENT ORDERS: U.S. orders for machinery and other factory goods that signal business investment surged in January, rising 7.2 percent from December, the biggest gain in more than a year.

FACTORY ORDERS: Total factory orders fell 2 percent in January but the decline was mostly due to a steep drop in volatile commercial aircraft and defense orders.

OUTLOOK: The big rise in demand for so-called core capital goods was viewed as an encouraging sign of business confidence in the economy. Some economists boosted their outlook for overall growth in the current January-March quarter based on the orders report.