Orders on the rise

JAPAN'S private-sector machinery orders rose 10.8 per cent from a year earlier in June after a 10.3 per cent gain in May, marking the 13th straight year-on-year rise, the Economic Planning Agency said.

The orders, excluding those from shipbuilders and electric power companies, which tend to fluctuate widely, totalled 1.04 trillion yen (about HK$83.48 billion dollars), up 8.6 per cent from the previous month, the agency said.