Rise in Japan's first quarter capex undercut by profit slump

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese firms raised spending on plant and equipment in the first quarter, a survey showed on Monday, though a sharp decrease in profits underlined the widening economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.Capital spending rose 4.3% in the first quarter year-on-year, following a 3.5% decline in the final three months of 2019, lifted by demand for electrical machinery, a preliminary survey by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) showed on Monday.On a seasonally-adjusted basis, capital..