U.S. durable-goods orders climb on higher military spending

The numbers: Orders for long-lasting or durable goods rose a stronger-than-expected 0.2% in August, but the increase stemmed from higher defense spending as the U.S. sought to replenish military hardware sent to Ukraine.

Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast a 0.5% decline.

Durable-goods orders minus defense actually fell…