Japanese GDP growth halved in Q3

Growth in Japan halved in the third quarter compared to the previous reading, the country's government reported overnight, with weaker consumption and exports pushing growth down.

The country - which has introduced major stimulus measures to try to boost growth and inflation - estimated growth in the third quarter grew at an annualised rate of 1.9% between July and September. This is down sharply from the first half of the year when the impact of Abenomics - a series of stimulus measures named after returning prime minister Shinzo Abe - helped the third largest economy in the world achieve growth of 4.3% in Q1, and then 3.8% in Q2. The latest data - while still impressive when looked at in combination with Q1 and Q2 - could nonetheless put pressure on the PM to...