Japan's Core Private-Sector Machinery Orders Down 5.1% in November

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders fell a seasonally adjusted 5.1% in November from the previous month, the Japanese government said Monday, keeping its basic assessment intact. 
The orders, which exclude those for ships and from utilities because of their volatility, totaled 833.7 billion yen ($7.3 billion). The data is widely viewed as an indicator of future capital spending by companies, Japan's News Agency (Kyodo) reported. 
The Cabinet Office said in its basic assessment that machinery orders had been picking up but have come to a standstill. The fall followed a 4.1% gain in October. 
Orders from the manufacturing sector climbed 9.8% to 363.5 billion yen, while those from the nonmanufacturing sector dropped 9.4% to 483.4 billion yen. 
Total orders, including those from the domestic public sector and abroad, increased 20.6% to 2.59 trillion yen. 
Overseas demand for Japanese machinery, an indicator of future exports, rose 37.3% to 1.10 trillion yen.