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Japan's Sept household spending rises at fastest pace on record
Japan’s household spending rose at the fastest pace on record in September as consumers rushed to buy goods before a sales tax hike, though the test for the economy will be whether the higher levy will squeeze domestic demand in coming months. Household spending jumped 9.5% in September from a year earlier, the fastest pace of increase since comparable data became available from 2001 and stronger than the median forecast for a 7.8% gain, government data showed on Friday. It was a tenth straight month of gains, the longest such streak since 2001. Spending had risen 7.2% in March 2014, a month ahead of the previous ... (full story)