FTSE 100 was up for the month
Sterling fell 0.7% to $1.38
Japanese GDP is likely to expand an average 1.7% through March 2019. Growth should be about 1.6% in April through December this year, rising to 1.8% next January through March.
Governments around the world are performing a juggling act: trying to meet the demands for more government spending; keeping their taxes competitive, and avoiding their public debts spiralling out of control.
Japanese equity markets have been tested by global market volatility so far this year.