Japan: Industrial production expands at fastest pace in four months in September
Industrial production rose 1.4% on a month-on-month and seasonally-adjusted basis in September, contrasting August’s 1.2% decrease. The print was the strong result in four months and overshot the 0.4% increase that market analysts had expected.
The categories that drove the month-on-month increase were general-purpose and business-oriented machinery, production machinery and electrical machinery, and Information and communication electronics equipment, in that order. Higher output for these categories was partially offset by decreases in production of chemicals, motor vehicles and electronic parts and devices.
On an annual basis, industrial output expanded 1.1% in September, contrasting August’s 4.7% drop. The annual average variation in industrial production rose from minus 1.2% in August to minus 0.9% in September.
The Survey of Production Forecast showed that manufacturers are becoming more optimistic. Manufacturers now expect industrial output to have recorded a 0.6% monthly increase in October, contrasting the 0.6% decrease forecast in the previous month’s survey. They, however, project a 1.2% fall in November.