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Hong Kong HK  01:58:25 GMT - 02/15/2016

15 Feb 2016 01:33GMT USD/JPY - ..... The Nikkie index gain 4.3% despite early release of downbeat Japan's GDP data. Reuters reported Japan's economy contracted an annualised 1.4 percent in the final quarter of last year as consumer spending slumped, adding to headaches for policymakers already wary of damage the financial market rout could inflict on a fragile recovery. The data underscores the challenges premier Shinzo Abe faces in dragging the economy out of stagnation, as exports to emerging markets fail to gain enough momentum to make up for soft domestic demand. The contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) was bigger than a median market forecast for a 1.2 percent decline and followed a revised 1.3 percent increase in the previous quarter, Cabinet Office data showed on Monday. It matched a fall marked in April-June last year. Private consumption, which makes up 60 percent of GDP, fell 0.8 percent, more than a median market forecast for a 0.6 percent decline, a sign Abe's stimulus policies have so far failed to nudge households into boosting spending.