Nikkei down 0.8 pc, Fanuc falls after machine data

Tokyo, June 8: The Nikkei average fell 0.82 percent on Friday with industrial robot maker Fanuc Ltd. and other machinery stocks down after core private-sector machinery orders data came in weaker than market expectations.

Japan's core private-sector machinery orders, a key gauge of corporate capital spending, rose 2.2 percent in April from the previous month, government data showed before the start of trade.

That was below economists' consensus forecast for a 4.5 percent increase.

The Nikkei share average was down 148.70 points at 17,904.68 as of 0001 GMT, and the broader TOPIX index lost 0.80 percent to 1,765.55.

Reuters>