New orders for big-ticket durable goods jumped 3 percent in January, according to a recent Commerce Department report.

The spike was driven primarily for transportation equipment orders. Durable goods orders rose to $175.75 billion, a bump up from December's $170.57 billion and marked the second consecutive increase in new orders.

In addition to transportation goods, the category includes planes, cars, refrigerators and computers.

Industry watchers are attributing the growth to a resurge in business confidence.