Japan’s factories produced less while retailers sold more in November, pointing to the patchy nature of the economy’s recovery from its summer slump as the central bank tries to assess when the nation will be ready for its first interest rate hike since 2007. Industrial production edged down 0.9% from October as the output of automobiles, information technology equipment and general machinery fell, outweighing an uptick in chip-making gear, the industry ministry said Thursday. The drop was a touch less than expected, but still leaves output 1.4% lower than a year earlier. A separate report showed retail sales rose 1% ... (full story)