Durable goods orders plunge in December

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods tumbled in December as lower oil prices and softer global demand put more pressure on factories, the latest sign that economic growth weakened significantly at the end of 2015. The Commerce Department said on Thursday that durable goods orders declined 5.1 percent last month, likely also weighed down by a strong dollar, after slipping 0.5 percent in November. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast durable goods orders,