Japan’s Exports Plunge in July

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By Trey Thoelcke Published
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Japan’s exports plunged in July, the Ministry of Finance said. The nation swung back to a trade deficit. The yen fell following the worse-than-expected report.

The trade gap totaled 517.4 billion yen ($6.5 billion), compared to a 60.3 billion yen surplus in June. The consensus forecast had called for a 275 billion yen deficit. Exports fell 8.1% year over year, exceeding to an estimated 3.6% fall.

Shipments to top trading partner China dropped almost 12%, while exports to the United States gained 4.7%. Imports increased 2.1%.

The yen pulled back after the report, with the dollar rising to 79.26 yen from 79.21 yen before the numbers were released. The euro rose to 98.84 yen from 98.77 yen.

The report increases pressure for government spending or monetary easing to support the nation’s economy by bolstering domestic demand.

The weak Japanese trade figures also helped pull down Asian markets Wednesday. The Nikkei ended 0.3% lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slid 1.2% and China’s Shanghai Composite Index retreated 0.5%.

Photo of Trey Thoelcke
About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.

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