The week’s nine most important economic charts

Japan slipped into recession…

…and the yen fell to a seven-year low against the dollar

Natural gas prices rose

 after a winter storm buried parts of the US in record amounts of snow

One measure of US inflation crept up

New jobless claims

 paused in their march to a 14-year low

Housing starts slowed (though single-family starts rose at the fastest pace this year)

The iron price fell in a sign of China’s continued economic slowdown…

…as a Chinese manufacturing price index gets closer to contraction

In response, China’s central bank cut its benchmark interest rate