Orders placed with U.S. factories rose more than forecast in March, reinforcing signs in the past week that business investment was on the mend going into the second quarter, according to Bloomberg News reports.

Factory orders rose 3.1 percent after increasing 1.4 percent in February, the U.S. Commerce Department said today. Excluding transportation equipment, bookings rose 1.9 percent after no change in February.

Orders rose for goods such as machinery, power generation equipment and commercial aircraft, while higher energy costs boosted the value of chemicals and other non-durable products. The Federal Reserve, forecasting improved second-half growth, is counting on a bigger contribution from business spending as housing remains in a slump and consumer spending weakens.