Japans Car Markers See Rise

Despite recalls, Japanese car makers saw strong growth in sales and production in April, thanks to increased demand abroad. The manufacturers saw that strong demand from United States and Canada had boosted business causing increases in production. Mazda reported production increases of 51 percent, with global exports rising 37 percent. Similar results were posted by Nissan. Its production grew by 57 percent compared with April of last year. Exports rose by more than 70 percent. Even after a year of terrible brake problems, Toyota TM reported a near doubling of exports and increased production of 591,000 vehicles last month. These increases could be seen as a return of consumer confidence and spending. Investors wanting to play these increases can do so with the iShares MSCI Japan Index (EWJ). The ETF’s top holdings include investments in Toyota, Honda Motor HMC and Nissan.