Key Economic Releases From Japan: Snapshot

Japan’s government released a significant amount of economic data earlier today, among which factory output was one of the most important releases. According to data released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, industrial output in Japan increased by 1.3% MoM, coming in better than economists’ forecast for a 0.7% gain.

Meanwhile, retail sales in Japan declined by 2.6% YoY during December, disappointing the markets. Economists had forecast a 1.8% decline for the month instead.

On the positive side, jobless rate in Japan remained steady in December, with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate holding at 2.2%. The figure beat economists’ expectations for a reading of 2.3% instead.

According to data released by the labor ministry, the jobs-to-applicants ratio for December also came in higher than expected at 1.57. Economists’ forecast was for the figure to touch 1.56.