New orders for manufactured durable goods in January increased $0.9billion or 0.4% to $255.3 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced. This increase, up three consecutive months, followed a 1.3% December increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.1%. Excluding defense, new orders increased 0.7%. Transportation equipment, up five of the last six months, drove the increase, $1.0billion or 1.2% to $90.9 billion.

Tuesday, the Dow closed 121.43 points (0.47%) higher at 26,035.53, the NASDAQ was up 9.47 points (0.12%) at 7,723.95, and the S&P 500 was virtually unchanged at 2,832.57. The Russell 2000 decreased 8.95 points (0.57%) to 1,554.98, and the Wilshire 5000 was down 22.11 points (0.08%) at 29,300.60.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note was down 2/32, increasing its yield to 2.614%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond decreased 4/32, bringing its yield up to 3.025%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1816, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed its right to review state court decisions. In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” subtitled “Life Among the Lowly,” was first published. In 1886, the first AC power plant in the U.S. began commercial operation. In 1897, the first U.S. orthodox Jewish Rabbinical seminary was incorporated in New York. In 1922, the USS Langley was commissioned. It was the first aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy. In 1933, the first German concentration camp was completed at Dachau. In 1952, the Senate ratified a peace treaty with Japan. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered 4,000 troops to protect the Selma-Montgomery civil rights marchers. In 1980, the U.S. made an appeal to the International Court concerning American Hostages in Iran. In 1982, U.S. scientists’ returned from Antarctica with the first land mammal fossils found there. In 1984, the Senate rejected an amendment to permit spoken prayer in public schools. In 1990, the Los Angeles Lakers retired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s #33. In 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first men to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. The non-stop trip began on March 3 and covered 26,500 miles. In 1999, Legoland California opened in Carlsbad, California. In 2002, accounting firm Arthur Andersen pled innocent to charges that it had shredded documents and deleted computer files related to the energy company Enron.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: “Another belief of mine; that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.”—Margaret Atwood, Canadian poet and novelist