U.S. durable goods orders in April 2008 fell just 0.5% but the core rate rose as demand for electronics goods offset weakness in airplanes / autos, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Wednesday.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected April 2008 durable goods orders to decline 1.1%. Durable goods orders decreased a revised 0.9% in March 2008.

Equally significant, excluding transportation, durable goods orders rose 2.5% in April 2008, the biggest increase in nine months, and the second straight increase. Durable goods orders excluding transportation rose 1.5% in March 2008.

In April 2008 electrical equipment / appliances / components orders rose 27.8%, non-defense capital goods increased 4.2%, shipments rose 0.5%, unfilled orders increased 1.0%, transportation fell 8%, airplane orders fell 24%, and automobiles declined 3.3%.

Economist David H. Wang told BloggingStocks exports are offsetting sluggish domestic demand conditions. "In the April report we can see demand from foreign purchasers picking up. If this trend continues in the months ahead it will help the U.S. pull out of its housing-induced economic contraction," Wang said. "China, broader Asia, and Latin America are helping to fill in the gaps created by low domestic demand."

Further, Wang said the significant export lift is yet another change created by globalization -- the development of national economies and the spread of capitalism to every region of the world. If that foreign demand remains strong, the export trend has the capacity to shorten the U.S. recession -- "make it more shallow" than previous U.S. economic downturns.