Japan’s gross domestic product advanced at an annualized pace of 3.5% in the first quarter, up from a 1.0% rate at the end of 2012 and surpassing economists’ expectations of 2.8%. The reading was viewed as the first comprehensive report card on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and BOJ’s aggressive monetary easing policies. The GDP data showed consumer spending increased and exports to the U.S. jumped, helped by a weaker yen. Meanwhile, the Eurozone economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter, with France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands all reporting lower GDP, as the monetary union continues to experience its longest recession, contracting for the sixth consecutive quarter.