Japan Jan core machinery orders -3.2 pct m/m

Published: 10 Mar 2009 18:15:42 PST

TOKYO, March 11 - Japan's core private-sector machinery orders, a key gauge of corporate capital spending, fell 3.2 percent in January from the previous month, slightly better than a median market forecast for a 4.5 percent fall, government data showed on Wednesday.

With companies forced to slash production in the face of dwindling demand due to the global recession, orders fell 39.5 percent from a year earlier, against a median forecast for a 40.0 percent decline.