JAPAN DATA: The Bank of Japan says its October real..

JAPAN DATA: The Bank of Japan says its October real export index
dropped a seasonally adjusted 4.8% m/m to 117.9 (100 for the 2005 base
year), the first m/m fall in sixth months after +3.4% in September and
+0.1% in August. The October reading was the lowest since 110.0 in May.
Meanwhile, the BOJ’s real import index rose a seasonally adjusted 4.7%
m/m to 109.9, the first rise in two months, after -1.6% in September and
no change in August. The BOJ calculated the indexes based on the
unadjusted October trade data released by the Ministry of Finance
earlier today, which showed -3.7% y/y in exports and +17.9% in imports.
The BOJ export index hit a recent bottom of 77.6 in February 2009
following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008.