Bloomberg Japan’s retail sales unexpectedly fell in November from the previous month for the first drop in five months as pent-up demand started to cool amid rising prices, outweighing a boost from the return of tourists. Spending slipped 1.1% from October with outlays on clothing falling in a milder-than-usual month, according to the economy and trade ministry. Economists had expected …

  Bloomberg Residents of Hong Kong reacted swiftly to news China will no longer subject inbound travellers to quarantine as of early next year, flooding the internet to search for flights to key mainland cities. Outbound searches for flights from Hong Kong to the mainland on Trip.com and Ctrip, the two sub-brands of Trip.com Group Ltd, jumped around 521% on …

  Bloomberg The US merchandise-trade deficit narrowed in November to the smallest since December 2020 due to a plunge in imports. The shortfall decreased 15.6% — the most since 2009 — to $83.3 billion last month, Commerce Department data showed on Tuesday. The figures, which aren’t adjusted for inflation, compared with a median estimate for a gap of $96.3 billion …