Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting durable goods rose a solid 0.6 percent last month, helped along by strong demand for communications equipment, according to a government report.

The rise in orders for durable goods, items made to last three years or more, came in close to the 0.5 gain expected on Wall Street, but details in the Commerce Department report released Thursday showed more strength than many economists had anticipated.

A separate report filed by the Labor Department, also released on Thursday, showed a smaller-than-expected rise in initial claims for unemployment aid. The report said 325,000 newly unemployed Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits last week, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week.

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