Japan's factory output likely slowed in February and retail sales dropped for a fifth straight month, a Reuters poll showed on Friday, as the coronavirus outbreak took an increasing toll on businesses and consumers.
Japan has officially recorded 2,113 cases of the virus and 57 deaths so far as the disease races across the world, prompting the Bank of Japan to expand stimulus while the government works to nail down a support package that sources say will total at least $137 billion.
While the stimulus likely won't prevent the world's third-largest economy from sliding into recession, analysts say it could keep businesses afloat until global demand begins to recover.
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