Japan's machinery orders down 0.4 percent in February

(MENAFN) Machinery orders, an indicator for the future prospects of Japanese firms' capital investment, dropped in February by 0.4 percent from January, QNA reported.

The Cabinet Office said companies in Japan placed orders worth about USD6.9 billion in February. The fall followed a 1.7 percent drop registered in the previous month.

The figures exclude orders in the shipbuilding and power sectors, which tend to fluctuate a lot. Non-manufacturers placed 3.6 percent fewer orders, logging the first fall in 4 months.

Officials at the Cabinet Office said the overall decline was relatively small in February and maintained their assessment that orders are showing signs of moderate recovery.