Japan avoids recession with weak return to growth – business live | Business
important events
Japan, along with the UK, is at the bottom of the G7 growth table:
While Canada and the US have yet to report October-December GDP data, here’s what we know so far:
Competition between UK house sellers is at an 11-year high
Competition among UK house sellers is at its highest level in eleven years, with buyers being provided with more opportunities and prices holding steady this month.
real estate portal move to the right reports this morning that the average price of newly listed homes has fallen by just £12 this month to £368,019.
After Boxing Day and a record number of early bird new sellers hitting the market since January, potential buyers have plenty of options as the number of upcoming homes increases.
move to the right He says the high number of homes for sale continues to benefit buyers, providing them with more choice and bargaining power.
Moving past last November’s budget, net confidence between buyers and sellers in January rose to its highest level since September 2025, according to Rightmove’s report.
The Bank of England cutting interest rates at its next meeting in March could provide some further support to borrowers as the peak spring selling season approaches.
Accordingly move to the rightThe average asking price is the same as a year ago, then £12 lower.
This is despite record price increases being claimed in January of the year, which means prices have increased by 2.8% since December
He says sellers need to present their properties realistically as the market is “still very price sensitive” Colleen Babcockat real estate specialist move to the right:
“The almost constant prices in February need to be evaluated together with what happened in January.
After prolonged uncertainty in the run-up to the November Budget and the usual Christmas slowdown, we have seen activity pick up again from Boxing Day. Many sellers, some of whom held back due to the Budget, came to the market with renewed confidence in early 2026, which helped fuel the January price rise.
But the fundamentals of the market have not changed. There are still plenty of homes for sale and buying activity is not as strong as it was this time last year when many buyers were rushing to move ahead of the UK stamp duty increase. Therefore, in February, sellers took a more cautious approach, maintaining January gains rather than raising prices at a time when competition was high and the market was still price sensitive.”
After a bullish January, sellers generally feel it’s better to ask for more as increased competition stifles growth. Annual prices remained steady but rose higher in February, with many sellers hoping that year-end budget constraints now removed would release pent-up demand. pic.twitter.com/PQbemcjmJN
— Emma Fildes (@emmafildes) February 16, 2026
Japan stock market is down
Shares fell in Tokyo as investors digested today’s weaker-than-expected growth report.
Nikkei 225 index decreased by 0.24% Topix It spilled 0.8%.
Masahiro Ichikawachief market strategist Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, in question:
“I thought the GDP numbers would be treated like historical numbers, but seeing as the Nikkei average is trying to move up, there may be a slight impact.”
Introduction: Japan avoids recession with weak return to growth
Good morning; Welcome to our in-depth coverage of business, financial markets and the world economy.
Japan has avoided falling into recession with a weak growth rebound that highlights the need for the new government to take strong measures to revive the economy.
New data from Japan’s Cabinet Office shows Japan’s GDP grew by just 0.1% in the October-December period, missing forecasts of 0.4% growth.
This follows a 0.7% contraction in the July-September period and means Japan has avoided a technical recession by recording two consecutive negative quarters of growth.
While private consumption was effective in growth, exports and public expenditures remained weak.
Shinichiro Kobayashichief economist Mitsubishi UFJ Research And Consultingexplained:
“Personal consumption has shown resilience, but whether this resilience can be sustained will depend on whether price relief measures will have an impact and real wages turn positive.”
Japan’s economy has been hurt by Donald Trump’s trade war, which has increased tariffs on Japanese goods entering the United States.
A diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan’s security has also put pressure on the economy, and Chinese tourism to Japan has fallen by almost half.
Data comes just a week after prime minister Sanae Takaichi He won a landslide election victory by promising “responsible and proactive fiscal policies.”
Takaichi He was going to meet with the governor of the Bank of Japan Kazuo UedaThey held their first bilateral meeting since the election.
Last November Takaichi It has announced a massive ¥21.3 trillion (£100bn) stimulus package to spur economic growth and protect households from rising living costs. More precautions may need to be taken…
