Japanese economic data Monday showing lingering weakness provided a throttle on momentum sparked last week by OPEC production cut rumors. The Japanese government reported gross domestic product shrank by an annualized 1.4 percent for the three-month period ending Dec. 31. Tokyo reported its economy shrank 0.8 percent for the two-month period ending in September and a second quarter contraction of about 0.7 percent formally pushed Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, into recession for the second time in two years. Concerns about the pace of economic growth in Asia have put downward pressure on crude oil prices during the early stages of the second half of 2014. Talks of potential oil production cuts from some members of the Organization of Petroleum […]