The U.S. Commerce Department released durable goods orders data on Tuesday. The U.S. durable goods orders rose 0.8% in March, missing expectations for a 1.8% gain, after a 3.1% drop in February. February's figure was revised down from a 2.8% fall.

The increase was mainly driven by a strong demand for transportation equipment, which climbed by 2.9% in March.

The U.S. durable goods orders excluding transportation fell 0.2% in March, missing expectations for a 0.5% increase, after a 1.3% decline in February. February's figure was revised down from a 1.0% drop.

The U.S. durable goods orders excluding defence slid 1.0 % in March, missing expectations for a 0.4% increase, after a 2.3% decline in February. February's figure was revised down from a 1.9% decrease.