TOKYO, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Japan’s factory output unexpectedly fell in August from the previous month, government data showed on Wednesday.
Here are a few details:
• Industrial output shrank 1.7% in August from the previous month, according to data released by the Ministry of Economy, compared to the median market forecast for a 1.7% rise in a Reuters poll. It decreased for a second straight month.
• Manufacturers surveyed by the ministry expect seasonally adjusted output to increase 3.2% in September and grow 3.1% in October.
• In August, motor vehicle production slumped 6.8% from the previous month as an earthquake and a typhoon disrupted operations, while general-purpose and business-oriented machinery output declined 6%.
• The indicator will be among the factors the Bank of Japan will scrutinise as it decides whether to raise interest rates in the near future.
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama, Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Rashmi Aich)
