Japanese Growth Beats Forecasts

Japan’s economy grew at the fastest pace in nearly three years in the first quarter due to increased spending ahead of a sales tax increase on 1 April.

Official data showed GDP rose 1.5% in the January-to-March period, against a revised 0.1% in the prior quarter.

The figure beat forecasts for 1% growth, and was led by consumer spending which rose by 2.1%.

Capital spending by businesses also outperformed, rising by 4.9%, which was more than double analyst expectations.

Private consumption accounts for about 60% of Japan’s economy. However, economists warned that spending may taper off now that the April tax hike has been introduced.

“Japan’s economy expanded rapidly ahead of the sales tax hike, but is set to slump thereafter,” Marcel Thieliant, Japan economist at Capital Economics, said.

“Looking ahead, the economy will certainly contract in the second quarter of the year, as consumers rein in spending after the tax hike, and residential investment is set to plunge.”

via BBC

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.