TOKYO: Japan’s core machinery orders fell 5.1% in November from the previous month in a sign could turn cautious on capital expenditure, government data showed on Monday.
The fall in core orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital expenditure in the coming six to nine months, compared with economists’ median estimate of a 1.7% decline and was the largest decline since April last year. Compared with a year earlier, core orders, which exclude those of ships and electrical equipment, rose 10.4% in November, versus the median estimate for a 8.1% increase.