Japan’s Household Spending Rises More Than Expected in August

Japan’s household spending rose for a fourth month, showing resilience amid persistent inflation as the central bank continues to mull the timing of its next interest rate hike.

Outlays by households adjusted for inflation gained 2.3% from a year ago in August, led by spending on transport and entertainment, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported Tuesday. The result beat the median economist estimate of a 1.2% increase.