Japan’s output falls

Japan’s industrial output fell in June for the first time in five months, highlighting the fragility of the recovery in the world’s No. 3 economy.

Manufacturing slipped 3.3 percent from the month before in June and was 4.8 percent lower than a year before, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

Mercedes-Benz tops luxury-car theft list

Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz vehicles were the most sought-after luxury brand among U.S. car thieves from 2009 through 2012 as the New York City region had the greatest number of thefts, an insurance industry group said.

More Mercedes C-Class cars, a total of 485, were stolen during the period than any other luxury model, according to a report released Monday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Two other Mercedes models, the E-Class and S-Class, ranked in the top 10.

The C-Class, including two-door coupes and four-door sedans, is the best-selling Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. and worldwide. The starting price of a C-Class sedan is about $35,350, compared with about $92,350 for an S-Class, according to the company’s website.

"The more desirable the vehicle, the more attractive the vehicle is to thieves," Donna Boland, a Mercedes spokes­woman, said in an email. "A significant number of Mercedes-Benz models that are reported stolen are recovered, some very swiftly, thanks to our mbrace system, which includes a stolen vehicle tracking feature." Mbrace is an in-car communications system that connects to the Internet.

The second most stolen luxury car was Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW 3 Series, followed by Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti G Series, the NICB said.

California had the highest number of luxury thefts of any state at 1,063, followed by Florida with 674. The Los Angeles area had 491 thefts.

"We have such a car culture here in L.A.," Commander Andrew Smith, spokes­man at the Los Angeles Police Department, said in a telephone interview before the release. "There’s a lot of high-end motor vehicles. You would expect there to be more stolen vehicles in a place where the population is bigger."

Amazon’s workforce will swell by 7,000

NEW YORK » Amazon.com Inc. says it is adding 7,000 jobs in 13 states, beefing up staff at the warehouses where it fills orders and in its customer service division.

The company says it will add 5,000 full-time jobs at its U.S. distribution centers, which currently employ about 20,000 workers who pack and ship customer orders.

The world’s largest online retailer has been spending heavily on order fulfillment, a strategy meant to help the business grow but one that has also weighed on profit margins. The company said last week that it lost money in the second quarter, even as revenue increased.

Distribution center jobs are available in Phoenix; Middletown, Del.; Patterson, San Bernardino and Tracy, Calif.; Indianapolis and Jeffersonville, Ind.; Hebron, Ky.; Breinigsville, Pa.; Charleston and Spartanburg, S.C.; Chattanooga and Murfreesboro, Tenn.; San Antonio, Coppell and Haslet, Texas; and Chester, Va.

Amazon shares fell $5.91 Monday to close at $306.10.

Fewer home contracts signed in June

WASHINGTON » The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes dipped in June from a six-year high in May, a sign that sales could stabilize over the next few months.

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its seasonally adjusted index for pending home sales ticked down 0.4 percent to 110.9 in June. The May reading was revised lower by a percentage point to 111.3, but it was still the highest since December 2006.

The slight decline suggests higher mortgage rates may be starting to slow sales. Still, signed contracts are 10.9 percent higher than they were a year ago. There is generally a one- to two-month lag between a signed contract and a completed sale.

Economists were relieved after seeing only a modest decline. They said that shows higher mortgage rates are having only a small impact on the home sales market.

Buffett auctions off tour of See’s Candy

OMAHA, Neb. » Billionaire Warren Buffett is auctioning off an all-you-can-eat tour of the See’s Candy factory in California to benefit an education nonprofit there.

Bidding had already reached $35,000 by Monday afternoon, but it remains to be seen whether the final price of this auction will rival the annual auction of lunch with Buffett, which routinely tops $1 million.

The online auction that runs through Aug. 13 will benefit Communities In Schools of Los Angeles. It is being offered on the charitybuzz.com website.

Buffett says he’ll teach the auction winner the proper way to eat a bonbon during the half-day tour. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate has owned See’s Candy since 1972, and he spends hours munching on See’s treats while answering questions at Berkshire’s annual meetings.

The lunch auction winners get to spend several hours asking Buffett questions about business, philanthropy and life.

On the Move

Bank of Hawaii has promoted: 

>> Randy Au and Miki S. Ikeda to vice president and commercial banking officer from assistant vice president and commercial banking officer at the Pearlridge Banking Center.

>> Sarah Han to vice president and branch division planning manager from assistant vice president and branch division planning manager.