PANews reported on November 17 that the Nikkei 225 index fell further by 1%, closing at 49,864.87 points.

Japan's Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report on Monday that, after adjusting for prices and seasonality, Japan's real GDP contracted at an annualized rate of 1.8% in the third quarter, the first contraction in six quarters, compared with a median market forecast of a 2.5% decline.