Japan's core machinery orders book 1st rise in 4 months, up 7.7 pct. in Sept.

Japan's core machinery orders rose a seasonally adjusted 7.7 percent in September from a month earlier marking the first gain in four months, the government said in a report Thursday.

According to the Cabinet Office's figures, the rise in orders in the recording period was buoyed by an increase in orders from the non-manufacturing sector, with the value of orders, excluding volatile orders for ships and utilities, totaling 816.4 billion yen (6.6 billion U.S. dollars) in September.

From the non-manufacturing sector alone, orders leapt by 14.3 percent to 482.4 billion yen, the government's data showed, but those from the manufacturing sector slumped 5.5 percent in September to total 328.9 billion yen.

The Cabinet Office also said that total domestic and oversees orders came to a combined total of 2,310.3 billion yen, an increase of 9.5 percent from the previous month, with overseas demand showing an increase of 4.8 percent to 913.9 billion yen in the recording period.

Japan's machinery orders are a key advance indicator for corporate capital spending and the government uses the data to predict the strength of business spending in a six to nine month period ahead and such business investment accounts for roughly 15 percent of Japan's gross domestic product.

Types of machinery included in the monthly government survey comprise engines and turbines, heavy electrical machinery, electronic and communication equipment, industrial machinery, machine tools, railway rolling stock, road vehicles, aircraft, ships, water crafts, as well as sub types in the aforementioned categories. Enditem