Japan's private sector machinery orders contracted in November, the Cabinet Office reported Sunday.
The total value of seasonally adjusted machinery orders received by 280 manufacturers in Japan increased by 8.5% month-on-month in November from a 6.8% decline in October.
However, machinery orders in the private sector fell 7.2% in November following a 2.3% increase in October. The latest reading marked the first drop recorded since August.
Excluding volatile orders for ships and from electric power companies, private sector machinery orders declined 11% in November from a 7.0% increase in the previous month.
The figure surpassing the 5.1% decrease that was expected according to the consensus forecast from FXStreet.
The aforementioned figures are compiled using responses to a survey of Japanese manufacturers carried out by Japan's Cabinet Office each month.