Defense aircraft demand boosts U.S. factory orders; underlying weakness lingers
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for U.S.-made goods increased by the most in nearly 1-1/2 years in December amid strong demand for defense aircraft, but weak business spending on equipment pointed to limited scope for a sharp rebound in manufacturing even as business confidence is improving.Factory goods orders surged 1.8%, the largest gain since August 2018, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Data for November was revised down to show orders tumbling 1.2% instead of dropping 0.7% as..