Japan's GDP Contracts for First Time in Six Quarters

According to PANews, the Nikkei 225 index saw a decline of 1%, reaching 49,864.87 points. On Monday, Japan's Cabinet Office released a preliminary report indicating that the country's real GDP for the third quarter, adjusted for price and seasonal factors, contracted at an annualized rate of -1.8%. This marks the first shrinkage in six quarters, contrasting with the market's median forecast of a 2.5% decline.