Japan's economy expanded by a much faster-than-expected annualized 3.1% in the second quarter, rebounding from a slump at the start of the year thanks to a strong rise in consumption and backing the case for another near-term interest rate hike.
The Bank of Japan had forecast that a solid economic recovery will help inflation sustainably hit its 2% target, and justify raising interest rates further after it hiked them last month in its continued quest to exit years of massive monetary stimulus.
The increase in gross domestic product (GDP) compared with a median market forecast for a 2.1% gain, and followed a revised 2.3% slump in the first quarter, government data showed. The reading translates into a quarterly rise of 0.8%, beating a 0.5% increase expected by economists in the Reuters' poll.
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