Japan industrial production rose 1.7% mom in August, above expectation of 1.5% mom. That’s also the third straight month of growth, as boosted by automobiles and car parts, as well ass iron, steel and non-ferrous metals. Shipments rose 2.1% mom. Inventories dropped -1.4%. Inventory ratio dropped -2.5%. Over the year, production was down -13.3% yoy.
On the other hand, retail sales dropped -1.9% yoy in August, better than expectation of -3.5% yoy. But that’s still the sixth consecutive month of decline, highlighting the weak recovery in consumer demand.
