JAPAN DATA: Japanese retail sales in January are expected to have
posted a second straight year-on-year drop, down by 1.6%, due mainly to
lower spending on TVs and other consumer electronics, according to the
median forecast of economists surveyed by Market News International. The
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry will release the data on Monday,
Feb. 28 (2350 GMT Sunday). Retail sales slumped a revised 2.1% in
December from a year earlier as sales of automobiles and consumer
electronics plunged. See the full story and table that were published on
the Main Wire at 01:07 ET.