Japanese exports slip

Japan's economy is clearly slowing. Bloomberg reports the latest trade data today.

Japan’s exports grew at the slowest pace this year in September, a sign the country is losing its chief engine for growth as demand abroad tempers. Overseas shipments increased 14.4 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said in Tokyo today. The median estimate of 21 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a 9.6 percent gain. From a month earlier, shipments fell a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent...

Imports climbed 9.9 percent from a year earlier and the trade surplus rose to 797 billion yen ($9.8 billion), today’s report showed.

The Japanese economy is likely to stay weak. Last week, the Cabinet Office had released data showing that the composite leading index had fallen to 99.5 in August from 100.0 in July, its second consecutive decline.