Washington (AFP) – Orders for big-ticket manufactured items picked up steam again last month, as businesses reported more demand for a variety of goods, according to US government data released Tuesday. Durable goods orders climbed 0.8 percent in March, the Commerce Department said, less than analysts had expected but a reversal from the nearly two percent decline in the month prior, which the data showed was less severe than first reported. Orders have increased for five of the past six months, and Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics said the data point to a “quite strong” growth trend…