UPDATE 1-Mexico gross fixed investment up 2.7 pct in Sept

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MEXICO CITY, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Mexico's gross fixed investment, a measure of spending on machinery, equipment and construction, rose by a lower-than-expected 2.7 percent in September from the year-ago period, the government said on Friday.

The gross fixed investment MXGFI=ECI reading was well below the 7.0 percent increase forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll ECONMX.

The government said in a statement that spending on equipment and machinery rose 2.7 percent, with spending on imported equipment and machinery up 2.9 percent and investment in domestically produced items up 2.5 percent.

Construction investment in September rose 2.7 percent over the year-ago period.

Gross fixed investment slipped 1.41 percent in September compared with August, according to seasonally adjusted figures. (Reporting by Noel Randewich; Editing by James Dalgleish)