The sales tax hike took effect on October 1, so September saw a jump in retail sales ahead of the tax hike.
And now, without any further ado …. data result:
+7.5 % m/m
- expected +3.5% m/m, prior +4.6%
+9.1 % y/y
- expected +6.0% y/y, prior +1.8%
Yen barely changed.
Being corralled by the FOMC meeting later ….