Japan core machinery orders rise in December

TOKYO: Japan's core private-sector machinery orders, a leading indicator of corporate capital spending, edged up 1.7 percent in December from the previous month, official data showed Thursday.

The data marked the first increase in four months, but fell far short of a 5.3-percent rise expected by the market.

The core data, which exclude particularly volatile demand from power companies and for ships, was a rebound from a 3.0 percent fall in November and a 1.4 percent drop in October, the Cabinet Office said.