الرئيسية
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's core consumer prices fell for the third consecutive month in the year to December, and mild deflation is expected to persist this year as energy prices stabilize and worries about Europe's debt crisis suppress wage growth and economic activity.
Core consumer
prices declined an annual 0.1 percent, matching the median estimate, and
a narrower measure that excludes both food and energy also fell in a
sign that Japan continues to grapple with a strong yen, which pushes
down import prices and makes exporters reluctant to raise salaries.
Retail sales fell 1.2 pct in 2011, the first fall in two years, and
auto and machinery equipment sales posted record falls in the series,
which dates back to 1980. But sales rose an annual 2.5 percent in
December, the biggest increase in 16 months.
The Bank of Japan
and the government concede that the economy is in a lull, and they
could come under increasing pressure to support it with currency
intervention and monetary policy easing as Europe's debt crisis weighs on external demand.
Core consumer
prices declined an annual 0.1 percent, matching the median estimate, and
a narrower measure that excludes both food and energy also fell in a
sign that Japan continues to grapple with a strong yen, which pushes
down import prices and makes exporters reluctant to raise salaries.
Retail sales fell 1.2 pct in 2011, the first fall in two years, and
auto and machinery equipment sales posted record falls in the series,
which dates back to 1980. But sales rose an annual 2.5 percent in
December, the biggest increase in 16 months.
The Bank of Japan
and the government concede that the economy is in a lull, and they
could come under increasing pressure to support it with currency
intervention and monetary policy easing as Europe's debt crisis weighs on external demand.