U.S. orders of durable goods—products designed to last at least three years—fell in September after four consecutive months of increases, driven by a sharp drop in transportation equipment orders. New orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods in September declined $1 billion, or 0.4 percent, to $261.3 billion, the Commerce Department announced on Oct. 27. Consensus forecasts cited by FXStreet expected durable goods orders to fall 1.1 percent. The drop followed a 1.3 percent rise in August, which was the fourth consecutive increase in the measure. The decrease was driven by a 2.3 percent drop in new orders of transportation equipment, which in September fell $1.8 billion to $77.7 billion. Excluding transportation, new orders rose 0.4 percent. “Despite some weaknesses in the transportation equipment sector, the durable goods data continue to reflect a strong upward trend overall, even as manufacturers struggle with supply chain bottlenecks, worker shortages and soaring costs,” Chad …