JAPAN’S economy rebounded more than expected in the second quarter after slumping in the first three months of this year, data showed, a sign consumption and capital expenditure were recovering from the coronavirus pandemic’s initial hit. But many analysts expect growth to remain modest in the current quarter as state of emergency curbs reimposed to combat a spike in infections weigh on household spending. The world’s third-largest economy grew an annualized 1.3 percent in the April-June period after a revised 3.7 percent slump in the first quarter, preliminary gross domestic product (GDP) data showed yesterday, beating a median market forecast for a 0.7 percent gain. Still, the rebound was much weaker than that of other advanced economies including the United States, which marked a 6.5 percent annualized expansion in the second quarter, highlighting the fallout from Tokyo’s struggle in containing the pandemic. “There’s not much to be optimistic on the outlook with a spike in infections heightening the chance of stricter curbs on activity,” said Yoshihiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. “Japan’s economy stagnated in the first half of this year and there’s a risk of a contraction in the July-September period. Any clear rebound in growth will have to wait until year-end,” he said. Consumption unexpectedly rose 0.8 percent in the April-June period, following a 1 percent drop in the January-March period, the data showed. Capital expenditure also increased 1.7 percent after falling 1.3 percent in the previous quarter. As a result, domestic demand contributed 0.6 percent point to GDP growth. Exports rose 2.9 percent in the April-June period from the previous quarter in a sign the global recovery continued to underpin the world’s third-largest economy. “Private consumption grew unexpectedly and capital expenditure turned out to be firm. That said, the data left the impression that the economy’s rebound from the first quarter slump was weak,” said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute. Japan’s economy emerged from last year’s initial blow from the pandemic thanks to robust exports, though slow vaccinations and repeated state of emergency curbs have hurt consumption. A spike in Delta variant cases in Asia has caused supply chain disruptions for some Japanese manufacturers, which could weigh on factory output and add to gloom for an already fragile economic recovery. (SD-Agencies) | 