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Japan's Trade Deficit Widens in August as Export Growth Slows

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Japan posted a trade deficit of 1.106 trillion yen in August, marking the fourth straight month of shortfalls, according to preliminary data released by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday.

The figure was larger than the 1.05 trillion yen deficit anticipated by analysts polled by Investing.com, and widened sharply from a revised 638.3 billion yen deficit logged in the previous month.

Exports rose 19.3% year over year to 10.05 trillion yen, softer than the 23.2% rise the previous month. The performance, however, beat the consensus estimate for an 18.2% increase.

Imports rose 28% year over year to 11.15 trillion yen, accelerating from the 27.9% rise the previous month, and beating the consensus estimate of 26.3%.

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International

Taiwan's Regular Earnings of All Employees Rise 3.32% in July

Taiwan's average regular earnings of all employees rose 3.32% year on year in July to NT$49,491, according to data released by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics on Monday.The average regular earnings of all employees include full-time employees with Taiwan nationality, part-time employees and industrial migrant workers.The total number of payroll employees increased by 87,000 from the previous year to 8.6 million at the end of July.The average regular earnings of full-time employees with Taiwan nationality increased by 3.67% year on year to NT$52,528 in July.From January to July, the average monthly regular earnings for all employees was NT$49,054, higher by 2.9% from a year earlier.

Taiwan Weighted
International

China's Retail Sales Growth Slows to 0.4% in August

China's retail sales of consumer goods grew 0.4% year over year to 3.982 trillion yuan in August, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released Tuesday.The pace of growth was softer than the 0.6% expansion recorded in the previous month. It missed the consensus forecast of 0.7% growth tracked by Investing.com.Sales in urban areas rose 0.2% year over year to 3.446 trillion yuan, while rural retail sales edged up 1.6% to 536.7 billion yuan.For the first eight months of the year, retail sales in China rose 1.1% year over year to 32.8 trillion yuan, easing from the 1.2% growth in the January-July period.

Shanghai Composite^SZSE
International

Australia's Total Spending Rises in August Due to Higher Essential Costs, NAB Says

Australia's total spending rose 1.1% in August due to higher essential costs rather than heightened demand, according to NAB's Consumer Spend Trend released on Tuesday.Total spending climbed 8.7% over the year, while monthly growth was 0.6%, excluding fuel.The report pointed to increasing pressure on households, with the end of the temporary fuel excise discount, combined with higher fuel prices, NAB Head of Australian Economics Gareth Spence said.Non-discretionary spending was up 2.2% in August, driven by a 12% jump in fuel and a 3.2% rise in utilities and telecoms.Meanwhile, discretionary spending was still growing, but momentum had slowed, Spence said.Discretionary spending rose 0.4%, with household goods broadly flat and personal goods down 0.2%.

ASX 200