FX.co ★ Japan Machinery Orders Surge Past Forecasts in February

In February 2025, Japan experienced a significant rebound in core machinery orders, which rose by 4.3% compared to the previous month, reaching ¥894.7 billion. This surge surpassed market analysts' predictions, who anticipated a modest increase of 0.8%. This figure also represents the highest level recorded in a year and indicates a robust recovery from the 3.5% decline witnessed in January. Within this growth, orders in the manufacturing sector increased by 3% to ¥425.4 billion, while non-manufacturing orders saw an impressive jump of 11.4%, totaling ¥487.3 billion. Notable contributions came from sectors such as non-ferrous metals (up 144.8%), transportation and postal services (up 39.6%), chemicals (up 39.6%), textiles (up 37.9%), and finance and insurance (up 33.8%). On an annual basis, private-sector machinery orders rose by 1.5%, which, although a slowdown from January's 4.4% growth, exceeded expectations that forecasted a 1.4% decline.