Data here: Japan 4th consecutive quarter of GDP growth. (first time for a run of 4 in three years).
Reuters have a rundown up now:
The data should be a relief to government and Bank of Japan policymakers who aim to sustain growth and pull the economy out of deflation and stagnation. However, uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's policies has cast a cloud over export-reliant Japan as domestic demand remains underpowered, analysts say.
Also, Bloomberg (bolding mine)
"This is really an export-driven recovery we're talking about," Izumi Devalier, chief economist at Merrill Lynch Japan Securities, said on Bloomberg television. "Private consumption has been pretty weak still, and unless we get private consumption fired up, it's hard to see growth accelerating very strongly from here."
Via the Wall Street Journal:
- for Japanese policy makers, the latest GDP figures offer some reassurance that growth in the world's third-largest economy has at least stabilized after an uneven performance in the first three years of Abenomics
- Exports grew 2.6% on quarter
- Business investment also grew 0.9% on quarter, bouncing back from a 0.3% contraction in the July-September period
- Household spending dragged on the quarterly figures, staying flat on quarter
