Japan's current account surplus increased to JPY 1,077.3 billion in December 2024 from JPY 914.5 billion in the same month a year earlier, falling short of market estimates for a gain of JPY 1,362 billion. Still, it was the 23rd successive month of surplus in the current account, as the services account deficit decreased sharply to just JPY 0.21 billion from JPY 266.3 billion in the previous year. Also, the secondary income gap narrowed slightly to JPY 240.1 billion from JPY 251.5 billion. At the same time, the primary income surplus fell to JPY 1,275.5 billion from JPY 1,308.6 billion in the previous year. Simultaneously, the goods account surplus plunged to JPY 0.62 billion from JPY 123.7 billion, as exports (-0.9%) fell much steeper than imports (-0.3%)

Japan's loan growth in January 2025 remained unchanged at 3% year-on-year, matching the growth rate seen in December, which was revised down from 3.1%. The latest figure also fell short of market expectations, which had forecasted a 3.1% increase. As of January, the total value of outstanding loans across the nation's major, regional, and "shinkin" banks amounted to 635.7 trillion yen. Major and regional banks were the main drivers behind this growth. Loan values for major banks rose by 2.7%, while regional banks saw a slightly higher increase of 3.8%. In contrast, "shinkin" banks experienced a more modest gain of 0.9%.(Cay) Newsmaker23

Source: Trading Ekonomi