Japan GDP up 0.6% in Oct.-Dec. on pent-up demand but inflation bites

Japan's economy grew at an annualized real 0.6 percent in October-December, helped by a sustained recovery in private consumption in the aftermath of antivirus curbs, but the first expansion in two quarters was far weaker than expected, government data showed Tuesday.Adjusted for inflation, real gross domestic product increased 0.2 percent from the previous quarter, according to the Cabinet Office's preliminary data.The average market forecast was for a 1.7 percent annualized expansion in a Kyodo News survey.Japan's economic growth was also limited by a drop in private inventories, a negati…READ FULL ARTICLE