WASHINGTON (Thomson Financial) - Orders to US factories for manufactured goods rose by the largest amount in a year, while a key gauge of US business investment rose by the largest amount in two and a half years, the Commerce Department said today. New orders rose 3.1 pct in March after rising a revised 1.4 pct in the prior month. That's the largest increase since March of last year, and stronger than the 2.0 pct gain economists had expected. Durable goods orders rose a revised 3.7 pct in March, stronger than the 3.4 pct rise estimated last week. Excluding transportation related orders, factory orders rose 1.9 pct in ... (full story)