Tokyo Reuters —Japan’s economy contracted in the first quarter, squeezed by weaker consumption and external demand and throwing a fresh challenge to policymakers as the central bank looks to lift interest rates away from near-zero levels.
The reading translates into a quarterly contraction of 0.5%, versus a 0.4% decline expected by economists.
“Japan’s economy hit the bottom in the first quarter,” said Yoshimasa Maruyama, chief market economist at SMBC Nikko Securities.
“The economy will certainly rebound this quarter thanks to rising wages although uncertainty remains on service consumption.”Capital spending, a key driver of private demand, fell 0.8% in the first quarter, versus an expected decline of 0.7%, despite hefty corporate earnings.
External demand, or exports minus imports, knocked 0.3 of a percentage point off first quarter GDP estimates.
Persons:
Downwardly, ”, Yoshimasa Maruyama
Organizations:
Tokyo Reuters, Nikko Securities, ”, Daihatsu, Bank of Japan
Locations:
Tokyo, “, Noto, Toyota’s