Bloomberg
Feb. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The yen weakened against the dollar after a government report showed Japan's economy shrank in the final quarter of 2004, throwing the country into recession.
The economy contracted 0.1 percent from the third quarter, the government said. It compared with expected growth of 0.1 percent, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey. Diminished expectations for economic expansion may undermine the yen by sapping demand for Japan's shares.
The yen fell as far as 104.65 per dollar after the data. It traded at 104.59 at 9 a.m. in Tokyo from 104.41 late yesterday in New York, according to EBS, an electronic currency-dealing system. The currency fell as far as 136.25 per euro, from 136.01....the rest...