The U.S. Commerce Department released durable goods orders data on Thursday. The U.S. durable goods orders jumped 4.9% in January, exceeding expectations for a 2.9% gain, after a 4.6% drop in December. December's figure was revised up from a 5.0% fall.

The increase was mainly driven by a strong demand for transportation equipment, which climbed by 11.5% in January.

The U.S. durable goods orders excluding transportation climbed 1.8% in January, exceeding expectations for a 0.2% increase, after a 0.7% decline in December. December's figure was revised up from a 1.2% drop.

The U.S. durable goods orders excluding defence rose 4.5 % in January, after a 2.5% decline in December. December's figure was revised up from a 2.9% decrease.