Demand for U.S. factory goods rose strongly during November as orders surged for civilian aircraft and climbed for other capital items.

Factory-goods orders increased by 1.2%, following a 0.9% advance in October, the U.S. Commerce Department said today.

Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft – which economists view as a measure of business investment demand — climbed by 0.8%, after falling 4% in October.

The factory goods data were the second batch of numbers in as many days giving a positive reading on the manufacturing sector. The Institute for Supply Management reported Monday its index of manufacturing activity moved to 58.6 in December from 57.8 in November, the sector’s 19th straight month of advance. The group’s new orders index surged to 67.4 from November’s 61.5.

Today’s report on factory orders showed a mix of increases and decreases among the various categories of goods during November. Non-durable goods orders, for instance, climbed 1% after rising 3.1% in October. Consumer-goods orders rose 1.5% after a 2.9% increase in October. Consumer durable-goods orders rose 3.7%; consumer non-durables went up 0.9%.