JAPAN

Economy Continues to Struggle: Consumer spending and corporate investment, the traditional engines of growth in Japan, continue to be anemic, the government said. The only two bright spots, it said, were public works spending, up 41.5% in September from a year ago, and housing starts, up 10.4%. The public works surge showed that the government’s economic stimulus package has kicked in. Housing has rebounded since July but almost entirely on the strength of owner-occupied and rental single-family units. Condominiums, once the backbone of real estate, continue in a deep recession.