Japan Industrial Output Grows More Than Estimated

(RTTNews) - Japan's industrial production expanded more than initially estimated at the start of the year, final data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed on Thursday.

Industrial production climbed 4.3 percent monthly in January, much faster than the 0.6 percent rise in December. In the flash estimate, the rate of increase was 2.2 percent.

Shipments grew 3.8 percent from the previous month, while inventories dropped 0.8 percent, and inventory ratio showed a notable fall of 4.6 percent.

On a yearly basis, industrial production rose 0.7 percent versus a 0.9 percent rebound in December.

Data showed that capacity utilization increased 2.9 percent after rising 0.5 percent rise a month ago.