Japan's economy up at annualised rate of 1.4 pct in Q4

Japan's economy rose at an annualised rate of 1.4 per cent in October-December, government data showed on Thursday, as consumer spending and capital expenditure rebounded from natural disasters that disrupted corporate activity.

The preliminary reading for fourth-quarter gross domestic product matched the median estimate in a Reuters poll of economists. It followed a downwardly revised 2.6 percent annualised contraction in July-September. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP rose 0.3 percent, slightly less than the median estimate for 0.4 percent quarter-on-quarter increase.