Nikkei nearly flat, machinery data eyed

Tokyo, Dec 8: The Nikkei average ended Friday morning nearlyflat as Japan Tobacco Inc. extended gains on a possible deal withBritain's Gallaher Group Plc but Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. fell oncellphone battery recalls.

Investors are awaiting machinery orders data at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT).

Core machinery orders, a highly volatile figure seen as a leadinggauge of capital spending, are expected to show a rise of 6.2 per centfor October from the previous month, according to a Reuters poll.

The Nikkei ended the morning down 9.25 points, or 0.06 per cent,at 16,464.11, while the broader TOPIX index fell 0.06 percent to1,621.83.

Reuters