Recovery in doubt as Japan's January machinery orders slide

Tokyo

JAPAN'S core machinery orders unexpectedly fell in January from the previous month and dipped the most in five months, adding to worries about whether recent signs of economic recovery will be sustainable.

Japanese policymakers hope a recovery in capital spending will help drive growth in the world's third-largest economy and pull it out of deflation and stagnation.

Core machinery orders fell 3.2 per cent in January, sharply undershooting the economists' median estimate of a 0.5 p…