Herbalife ( HLF ) beat expectations for first-quarter earnings, booking earnings per share of $1.10 as revenue climbed 17% yearly to $1.1 billion. The rise in spending and fall in unemployment reflects improving confidence in Japan as the government embarks on a radical plan to jolt the economy back to life with fiscal and monetary stimulus. Increasing unemployment and slowing inflation provide a backdrop for Thursday's European Central Bank announcement; the ECB is widely expected to cut rates to mitigate the situation.
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