Escalada antes da OPA força contrapartida de 2,057 euros pela Martifer

[Woodhare]

Eu penso que o Japão já não é 2ª maior economia mundial, é a 3ª ou a 4ª. As duas primeiras são a UE e os EUA.

[salvadorveiga]

hmm recessao nao e' 2 trimestres negativos ? a ser assim nao e' recessao pq o anterior trimestre teve um aumento de 4%

[Luka!]

AP
Japanese economy posts second-quarter contraction
Wednesday August 13, 2:49 am ET
By Tomoko A. Hosaka, Associated Press Writer
Japanese economy edges toward recession, posting second-quarter contraction


TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's economy shrank sharply in the second quarter, the government said Wednesday, as withering exports and faltering consumer demand edged the world's No. 2 economy to the brink of recession.
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Japan's gross domestic product, or the total value of the nation's goods and services, dropped at an annual pace of 2.4 percent in the April-June period, a marked downturn from a 4.0 percent rise registered in the January-March period.

The new numbers -- the first negative reading in four quarters -- bolstered growing evidence that Japan's six-year expansion was over.

On a quarterly basis, GDP contracted 0.6 percent, after a 0.8 percent increase in the January-March period, the Cabinet Office said. Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of real GDP, dropped 0.5 percent from the previous quarter. Housing investment was down 3.4 percent.

Two main drivers of Japan's six-year economic recovery -- business investment and exports -- also deteriorated. Corporate capital investment in factories and equipment fell 0.2 percent from the previous quarter, while overall exports of goods and services slid 2.3 percent -- lower for the first time in 13 quarters.

While acknowledging the "downward risks" facing the economy, Economy Minister Kaoru Yosano told reporters that the contraction is unlikely to be a long-term trend and should be evaluated "optimistically."

The latest figures, which had been widely expected, followed a series of recent sluggish economic indicators.

The government's monthly economic report for August released last week described the economy as "weakening." Although the Cabinet Office refrained from using the term "recession," it left out any reference to an economic "recovery" for the first time in more than six years.

Industrial production was down 2.2 percent in June from the previous month, and slowing demand overseas is battering Japanese exporters.

In data released separately Wednesday, Japan's current account surplus -- the widest barometer of its trade with the world -- plummeted 67.4 percent from a year earlier to 493.9 billion yen ($4.52 billion) as exports declined and higher oil prices pushed up the import bill.

The country's top automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., said last week its fiscal first-quarter profit plummeted 28 percent, and the automaker stuck to its forecast that full-year profit will fall for the first time in seven years as it faces more problems from a weakening North American market and rising material costs.

Domestically, rising inflation is sapping consumer sentiment, with July's consumer confidence index falling to its lowest level since the government began tracking the data in 1982.

While economists disagree on whether Japan has indeed entered recessionary territory, most note that the slowdown is likely to be shallow and temporary. They cite healthier fundamentals than in the past, when Japan faced excess debt, labor and capacity.

Glen Maguire, chief Asia economist for Societe Generale, said Japan is "tracking to a lower growth profile," but stopped short of calling it a technical recession -- commonly defined as two straight quarters of contraction.

"I don't think the numbers are signaling the type of deep recessions we saw in the late 1990s and early 2001," Maguire said. "Any slowdown in the Japanese economy is likely to be relatively modest."

Still, Japanese officials are worried.

The government on Monday released a draft framework of an emergency economic stimulus package designed to help the country cope with high fuel and commodity prices. Measures include financial assistance for small and midsize firms, subsidies for industry to improve energy efficiency and highway toll discounts.

It did not provide further details, including the scale and total value, or how the government planned to finance the package amid its larger goal of cutting spending.

More certain are the Bank of Japan's plans, which many economists agree are likely to factor in the slowing economy more so than rising inflation. When the central bank policy board meets next week, it is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 0.5 percent.