A summary of the preview via Capital Economics, they are wary of Chinese New Year distortions in the Japan data
- export and import values have slowed in recent months
- stronger yen exchange rate has reduced the yen-value of shipments, most of which are invoiced in foreign currency
First twenty days of the month:
- fall in export values
- jump in imports
preliminary figures will be less useful than otherwise ... strongly affected by ... timing of the Lunar New Year ... these distortions fizzled out towards the end of the month
Have pencilled in a small rise in export values
- also think that import values didn't surge quite as sharply as the preliminary data indicate.
