Corporate capital spending grew a disappointing 3.5 percent in the October-December quarter from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said Monday, making it likely that gross domestic product data for the period will be revised downward.
The 3.5 percent rise, below the average market projection of a 10 percent expansion, was the lowest rate of increase since the 1.5 percent gain marked in the July-September quarter of 2003.
The reading, marking the seventh straight quarterly increase, compared with a 14.4 percent expansion in the July-September quarter, according to the ministry's quarterly survey.