(Reuters) – A gauge of planned U.S. business spending rose for a third straight month in June, offering a hopeful sign for a pickup in economic growth in the second half of the year.

Other data on Thursday showed first-time applications for unemployment benefits increased slightly last week, but the underlying trend pointed to continued job gains.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday that non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 0.7 percent after rising by a revised 2.2 percent in May.  Read more