Japan's core private-sector machinery orders jumped a seasonally adjusted 10.5 percent on month in May to its highest reading in four and a half years, the government said Thursday, signaling the yen's slide has raised hope for recovery in exports and prodded companies to boost investment.
After a fall in April, the orders -- regarded as a leading indicator of capital spending -- came to 799.2 billion yen, the highest since October 2008, when the country's economy started to wane against a backdrop of the global financial crisis, the Cabinet Office said.
