Japan industrial production dropped -1.0% mom in December, worse than expectation of -0.8% mom. Manufacturers surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) expected output to grow 5.2% in January and 2.2% in February.
Retail sales grew 1.4% yoy in December, below expectation of 2.7% yoy. That’s nonetheless the third straight month of increase for sales, lifted by demand for general merchandise and food and beverages.
