Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Japan's economic output in the fourth quarter of 2025 was much weaker than expected, registering anemic growth after a deep contraction in the previous period, underscoring the case for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's proactive spending policies following her election triumph. For more on the latest reading and the market moves, we spoke to Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg's MLIV Strategist.

Plus - we go to earnings news. In Australia, the country's biggest steel maker, BlueScope said its first half net profit more than doubled. The company signaled higher payouts to shareholders over the next 12 months. BlueScope Steel recently rejected a takeover bid by conglomerate SGH and U.S. steelmaker 'Steel Dynamics'. For more on the latest results, we heard from Tania Archibald, CEO of BlueScope. She spoke to Bloomberg's Paul Allen and Shery Ahn on the Asia Trade.