SHOTLIST 1. Top shot of Tokyo stock exchange interior 2. Various of traders working at their desks 3. Top shot of Tokyo stock exchange interior 4. Wide of exchange with stocks board in background 5. Close of electronic stocks board 6. Wide of exchange interior STORYLINE Japanese stocks rose slightly in early trading on Friday with the benchmark Nikkei up around half a percent. In Tokyo the Nikkei 225 hit 7496.78 in early trading, up around 0.52 percent. The broader Topix index was also slightly up at 745.43, a rise of 0.39 percent. Brokers said the feeling on the stock exchange floor was mixed as investors weighed up bleak economic data showing a sharp fall in industrial production in January and optimism buoyed by the weaker yen, which helps the export-dependent Japanese economy. Industrial production in Japan plunged at a record pace in January as manufacturers continued to slash output amid collapsing global demand, the government said on Friday. Output at Japanese manufacturers tumbled 10 percent from the previous month, the largest drop since Tokyo began measuring such data in 1953. The figure marks the fourth straight month of retreat and is worse than December's 9.8 percent fall. Declines were particularly steep among makers of cars, electronics and general machinery, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The government's survey predicts that industrial production will decelerate 8.3 percent in February before climbing 2.8 percent in March. In a separate report, household spending, a key indicator of domestic consumer demand, fell 5.9 percent from a year earlier. Consumer spending accounts for more than half of Japan's gross domestic product. However the government also said on Friday that Japan's jobless rate in the month eased to 4.1 percent and that the core consumer price index excluding fresh food was unchanged from the previous year. Investors were also hopeful that the weaker yen would help Japanese manufacturers and big exporters despite reports on the slowdown. Keyword economy You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/69cfbe3569b9afd4b4bfb854c80d2f1d Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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