Japan Investment Solid as Machine Orders Jump Most Since ’96

Japan’s core machinery orders jumped the most since 1996 in March, pointing to a continued recovery in business investment that could help drive growth.

Orders rose 19.1 percent from a month earlier, excluding ships and from electrical power companies, the Cabinet Office said in Tokyo today, more than an median 5.8 percent increase forecast by economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Companies forecast orders to rise 0.4 percent in April to June, a fifth straight quarter of gains.