Nikkei flat, Fanuc, machine stocks down on data

TOKYO, Apr 11 (Reuters) The Nikkei share average was little changed after opening higher on Wednesday, but shares of Fanuc Ltd. and other machine manufacturers fell after February core machinery orders data came in below expectations.

Core private-sector machinery orders, a key gauge of corporate capital spending, fell 5.2 percent in February from January, government data showed on Wednesday, below a consensus forecast for a 0.2 percent fall.

Kenichi Hirano, operating officer at Tachibana Securities, said investors were selling machinery stocks following the weaker-than-expected data, but the impact on the overall market might be limited.

''The Japanese market is unlikely to stumble because of today's machinery data but continue its gradual growth, because not many people were planning to buy stocks because of the data,'' he said.

The machinery data cast some doubt on the outlook for capital spending, although some economists pointed to underlying firmness.

The Nikkei was up 0.01 percent or 1.01 points at 17,665.70 as of 0058 GMT. The TOPIX added 0.14 percent to 1,738.10.

Fanuc, the maker of industrial robots, shed 0.4 percent to 11,430 yen. Kubota Corp., the manufacturer of farm equipment, lost 2 percent to 1,023 yen.

Shares of OMC Card Inc. jumped 5.8 percent to 1,004 yen after the Nikkei business daily said on Wednesday that Daiei Inc. plans to sell a 31.8 percent stake in the credit card for 70 to 80 billion yen and likely bidders include Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Credit Saison Reuters DKS VP0700