A resumption of orders at Boeing looks to have driven an increase in durable-goods orders last month, says Stephen Brown, North America economist at Capital Economics. Orders picked up pace in March, government figures show Wednesday, but this was down largely to a big swing in civilian aircraft orders. “The rise in headline orders was largely due to a … rebound in non-defence aircraft orders amid the resumption of orders at Boeing, following the 737 Max-related woes at the start of the year,” Brown notes, referring to safety concerns that took a heavy toll on the planemaker in the first months of the year. Stripping out this volatile component, heavy-duty goods saw only a slight increase on the month and overall investment in business equipment probably declined, Brown writes in a note.