Japan’s Retail Sales Fall in October as Car Sales Drop

Japan’s retail sales fell in October by the most in 11 months as consumers purchased fewer cars and televisions, adding pressure on the government to stimulate an economy that may be entering a recession.

Sales fell 1.2 percent from a year earlier, the Trade Ministry said in Tokyo today, after a 0.4 percent advance in September. The median estimate of 10 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a 0.8 percent decline. From a month earlier, sales increased 0.7 percent.