Japan Industrial Output Dips 0.1% In December

(RTTNews) - Industrial production in Japan was down a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent on month in December, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday.

That beat forecasts for a drop of 0.4 percent following the 2.7 percent decline in November.

On a yearly basis, industrial production was up 2.6 percent.

Upon the release of the data, the METI maintained its assessment of industrial production, saying that it continues to fluctuate indecisively.

Also, retail sales slumped 0.9 percent on year in December, well shy of expectations for an increase of 0.7 percent following the gain of 1.1 percent in November.