Japan Industrial Output Tumbles 6.2% In February
Industrial production in Japan fell a seasonally adjusted 6.2 percent on month in February, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in Wednesday's preliminary reading - marking the largest single-month decline in five years.
The headline figure missed expectations for a decline of 5.9 percent following the 3.7 percent increase in January.
On a yearly basis, industrial production fell 1.5 percent - beating forecasts for a decline of 1.7 percent following the 3.8 percent contraction in the previous month.
Upon the release of the data, the METI maintained its assessment of industrial production, saying that it has been fluctuating indecisively.
Industries that mainly contributed to the increase included general-purpose, production and business oriented machinery, electronic parts and devices, and transport equipment.
According to the Survey of Production Forecast in Manufacturing, production is expected to gain 3.9 percent in March and 5.3 percent in April.
Industries that mainly contributed to the increase in March include general-purpose, production and business oriented machinery, transport equipment, and electronics equipment.
Industries that mainly contributed to the increase in April include general-purpose, production and business oriented machinery, transport equipment, and electronics parts.
Shipments fell 4.6 percent on month, reversing the previous month's gains. They were also down 1.8 percent on year.
Industries that mainly contributed to the decline included electronic parts and devices, general-purpose, production and business oriented machinery, and transport equipment.
Inventories dipped 0.1 percent on month, falling for the second straight month. Inventories also lost 0.9 percent on year.
The Inventory Ratio gained 0.5 percent on month, reversing the previous month's losses. It also showed an increase of 0.6 percent on year.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company - www.instaforex.com
