MNI 5 THINGS: Japan Dec Retail Sales Slow On Energy, Medicine

     TOKYO (MNI) - Japan's retail sales fell to a seven-month-low in December,

dragged lower by fuel, along with medicine and cosmetics sales, preliminary data

released Wednesday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) showed.

     The key points from the latest retail sales data:

     --Retail sales slowed to 1.3% on year in December from November's 1.4%, the

lowest rate seen in the last seven months, although beating the MNI median

economist forecast for a gain of 0.9%. 

     --Fuel sales slid to 4.2% y/y in December, down from November's 8.4%, the

slowest since October 2017. Sales of medicine and cosmetics decelerated for a

third month to 2.8% y/y in December from 4.6% recorded in November.

     --Sales for food and beverages contracted as well, falling to a

seven-month-low  0.2% y/y from the 0.8% gain in November. Apparel sales

rebounded strongly to 4.1% y/y, compared with last month's -0.7% y/y.

     --On the month, retail sales increased by 0.9% on a seasonally adjusted

basis in December, up from November's 1.1% drop. 

     --METI maintained its view from last month that retail sales are "picking

up gradually" -- an upgrade from the previous view that sales were "flat".

--MNI Beijing Bureau; tel: +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: flora.guo@marketnews.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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