Japan's November machinery orders down 4.9% on month

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders in November fell 4.9 percent from the previous month, declining for the first time in three months, the government said Thursday, retaining the view for the 13th consecutive month that orders are showing signs of stalling.The orders, which exclude those for ships and from electric utilities due to their volatility, totaled 816.7 billion yen ($5.5 billion) and the fall followed a 0.7 percent rise in October, according to the Cabinet Office.Machinery orders are seen as a leading indicator of capital spending.Orders from manufacturers dropped 7.8 pe…READ FULL ARTICLE