Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Japan misses growth forecasts for the final three months of 2025
Shares in UK defence companies are rising this morning, following a report that the British govermment could bring forward its target to spend more on defending the country.
The BBC reported that the British government is considering bringing forward the date by which it will spend 3% of economic output on defence, to the end of the current parliament. Previously, it has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and targeted 3% in the next parliament.
After hitting a low of 152.27 at the end of last week, USD/JPY has risen back above the 153.00-level. The main trigger for the partial reversal of yen strength has been the release of the weaker than expected Q4 GDP report from Japan.
The report revealed that Japan’s economy expanded by an annualized rate of just 0.2% in Q4 following a downwardly revised contraction of -2.6% in Q3.
Continue reading...Source: Guardian - World News
