TOKYO (Reuters)
Japan's core machinery orders rose a
more-than-expected 15.0 percent in January from the previous month,
Cabinet Office data showed on Monday, in a sign that rising business
investment could support economic growth.
The rise in core
orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of
capital spending in the coming six to nine months, was much stronger
than economists' median estimate for a 3.0 percent increase.
Compared
with a year earlier, core orders, which exclude those of ships and
electricity, rose 8.4 percent in January, versus a 3.6 percent decline
seen by analysts.
