Big manufacturers alone anticipate a decline of 10.4%. Firms of all industries and sizes plan on average to reduce their capital spending by 1.3% this fiscal year. Large size companies, however, expect to increase investment by 1.7%. Despite the drop in business confidence, Japanese stocks rose 1.21% in opening trade following a powerful Wall Street rally overnight on hopes of a new US financial rescue package. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei-225 index gained 136.75 points to 11,396.61 in the first few minutes of trading. AFP