Surprise fall in Japan's July industrial output
Talk of fiscal stimulus to avert possible recession as some economists scale back recovery expectations
Tokyo
JAPAN's industrial output unexpectedly fell in July in a worrying sign that high inventories and weak overseas demand could further hamper an economy struggling to recover from a slump in the second quarter.
The 0.6 per cent decline in output in July was much worse than the median estimate for a 0.1 per cent increase and follows a 1.1 per cent rise in June, trade ministry data showed on Monday.