Japan's core private-sector machinery orders unexpectedly rose in November, up 5.7 percent from the previous month, lifted by increased orders from the services sector, government data showed Wednesday.
The orders, which exclude those for ships and from utilities because of their volatility, grew for the second straight month to ¥899.2 billion ($8.1 billion), the highest since June 2008.
The rise came after a 5 percent jump in October, adding to bright signs for an economy that expanded for a seventh straight quarter through September. Market analysts had forecast a decline of around 1 percent.