Japan reported strong industrial production growth of 4.5% mom in February, surpassing expectations of 2.8% mom growth. The seasonally adjusted production index for the manufacturing and mining sectors reached 94.8, with the industry ministry predicting a 2.3% mom increase in March and a 4.4% mom advance in April.
Retail sales also exceeded expectations, rising 6.6% yoy compared to the anticipated 5.9% yoy. However, the unemployment rate increased from 2.4% to 2.6%, higher than the expected 2.4%.
Inflation in Tokyo experienced a slight decline, with the March CPI dropping from 3.4% yoy to 3.3% yoy, still above the expected 2.7% yoy. The core CPI (excluding fresh food) eased from 3.3% yoy to 3.2% yoy, meeting expectations. Meanwhile, the core-core CPI (excluding fresh food and energy) rose from 3.2% yoy to 3.4% yoy, surpassing the anticipated 3.3% yoy.
