Contact Mace News President
Tony Mace tony@macenews.com
to find a customer- and markets-oriented brand of news coverage with a level of individualized service unique to the industry. A market participant told us he believes he has his own White House correspondent as Mace News provides breaking news and/or audio feeds, stories, savvy analysis, photos and headlines delivered how you want them. And more. And this is important because you won’t get it anywhere else. That’s MICRONEWS. We know how important to you are the short advisories on what’s coming up, whether briefings, statements, unexpected changes in schedules and calendars and anything else that piques our interest.
No matter the area being covered, the reporter is always only a telephone call or message away. We check with you frequently to see how we can improve. Have a question, need to be briefed via video or audio-only on a topic’s state of play, keep us on speed dial. See the list of interest areas we cover elsewhere
on this site.
—
You can have two weeks reduced price no-obligation trial for $199. No self-renewing contracts. Suspend, renew coverage at any time. Stay with a topic like trade while it’s hot and suspend coverage or switch coverage areas when it’s not. We serve customers one by one, 24/7.
—
Tony Mace was the top editorial executive for Market News
International for two decades.
Washington Bureau Chief Denny Gulino had the same title at Market News for 18 years.
Similar experience undergirds our service in Ottawa, London, Brussels and in Asia.
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Consensus outlook for Mace News
Friday, Oct 30, 2026
0850 JST (2350 GMT/1950 EDT Thursday, Oct 29) The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry releases September retail sales.
Mace News median: +3.2% y/y (range: -0.1% to +4.7%) vs. August revised to +2.9% from +2.7%; +1.0% m/m (range: +0.1% to +2.9%) vs. August revised to -0.9% from -1.2%
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japanese retail sales are expected to rise on the year for the seventh straight month in September, partially supported by solid growth in major department store sales. Car sales are also expected to increase, but the pace of growth is seen slowing in line with a sharp deceleration in new passenger car registrations from the previous month.
Fuel sales are expected to edge lower as gasoline prices fell in September. But general inflationary pressure remained in place and is expected to help lift overall retail sales. They are forecast to rise 3.2% on the year in September, up from a revised 2.9% increase in August from the initial 2.7% rise.
On a month-on-month basis, retail sales are expected to rise 1.0%, following a revised 0.9% decline in August from the initial 1.2% fall.
In August, retail sales growth was led by strong automobile demand and solid gains in foodstuffs. However, growth slowed from July as cooler-than-usual weather and heavy rain and flooding dampened sales of summer clothing, air conditioners and other seasonal goods. Lower electronics sales appear to reflect sharp price increases for computers and smartphones amid global memory chip shortages and the prolonged weakness of the yen, which has kept import costs high. Fuel sales remained depressed as prices were restrained by subsidies aimed at easing the burden of high costs triggered by the Middle East conflict.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry downgraded its assessment of retail sales after upgrading it in the May report, saying sales were “taking one step forward and one step back.” Previously, the ministry had said sales were “on an uptrend.” This marks the first downgrade since September 2025.
Consensus outlook for Mace News
Friday, October 30, 2026
0850 JST (2350 GMT/1950 EDT Tuesday, Sept 29) The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry releases September and the July-September quarter industrial production, as well as the outlook for October and November.
Mace News median: +1.2% m/m (range: +0.1% to +1.8%) vs. August revised to -2.4% from -1.7%; +0.9% y/y (range: -0.2% to +1.5%) vs. August revised to +2.7% from +3.4%
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japanese industrial output is expected to rise on the month in September, supported by sustained demand related to artificial intelligence development, although gains were partly offset by a series of rainstorms and cooler-than-usual weather in northern regions, including the Tokyo metropolitan area. This would mark the first monthly increase in three months.
Industrial production was also seen as being weighed down by a slight decline in seasonally adjusted export values in the Ministry of Finance’s trade data released on October 21. Still, the underlying trend in production remained resilient, supported by sustained demand for AI-related products even as persistent geopolitical uncertainty has kept crude oil and other raw material prices elevated, adding to upward pressure on inflation.
Industrial output is forecast to rise 1.2% on the month in September, following a revised 2.4% decline in August from the initial 1.7% drop. Output is expected to rise 0.9% on the year, following a revised 2.7% increase in August after the initial 3.4% rise. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had projected a 1.6% increase in its previous production forecast.
METI maintained its assessment in August that industrial output was “taking one step forward and one step back.” Production fell unexpectedly that month, with declines across a broad range of industries, including transport equipment such as automobiles and engines; general machinery, including conveyors and cranes; petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and kerosene; and communications equipment, including computers and external storage devices.
Natural disasters were also seen as having partially disrupted production in August. A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on July 28, killing 38 people and injuring many others, while damaging roads and bridges and disrupting electricity and water supplies. The disaster prompted automakers such as Toyota and Honda, as well as chipmakers including Renesas and Tokyo Electron, to suspend production in the region for several days.
In September, three powerful tropical storms affected Japan, bringing record-breaking rainfall to many parts of the country. The storms also pushed temperatures below seasonal norms in some regions, including areas around the Tokyo metropolitan area, potentially weighing on production activity.
Consensus outlook for Mace News
Friday, October 30, 2026
0830 JST (2330 GMT/1930 EDT Thursday, October 29) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases September jobs.
Mace News median: 2.5% (range: 2.4% to 2.5%)vs. 2.5% in Aug, 2.4% in July, 2.5% in June, May and April, 2.7% in March and 2.6% in February.
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan’s unemployment rate is expected to change little in September from the previous month. Resilient labor market conditions are expected to stay in place amid continuing firmness in the domestic economy, with hiring increasing in sectors such as healthcare and welfare, transportation and entertainment in recent months.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is forecast at 2.5% in September, unchanged from 2.5% in August. The labor market has remained on a solid footing, with the jobless rate fluctuating between 2.4% and 2.5% over the past five months.
The number of employed people stood at 68.49 million in August, up 140,000 from a year earlier, while the number of unemployed people fell 20,000 on the year to 1.80 million, marking the first decline in 13 months.
The jobless rate edged up in August as more people quit their jobs to seek better opportunities or began looking for work. The number of people who left their jobs due to layoffs or retirement rose a seasonally adjusted 5.3% from the previous month, while the number of those who quit voluntarily gained 8.0%. The number of people who began job hunting increased 2.2%, indicating that more people entered the labor market to look for work.
–September Producer Inflation Forecast to Remain Elevated Above 7%, August Machinery Orders Expected to Rebound amid Solid Capex Demand By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Ahead
Consensus outlook for Mace News Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 0850 JST (2350 GMT/1950 EDT Monday, Oct 12) The Bank of Japan releases the September corporate
Thursday, Oct 15, 20260850 JST (2350 GMT/1950 EDT Wednesday, Oct 14) The Cabinet Office releases August machinery ordersMace News median: core orders +3.4% m/m (range:
– Waller: FOMC Has ‘Flexibility’; No Need To Hike at Consecutive Meetings – Musalem: Rates Need to Go Higher to Curb Inflation ‘In Timely Manner’
–ISM’s Miller: Employment Up on Strong Customer Demand; Some Firms Hiring AI Workers, Others Use AI Tools to Replace Staff By Max Sato (MaceNews) –
Consensus outlook for Mace News Friday, Oct 9, 20260830 JST (2350 GMT/1930 EDT Thursday, Oct 8) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases the
–Bank of Japan Branch Managers Expected to Continue Reporting Modest Recovery in Regional Economies, Firms Plan to Reflect Rising Costs in Sales Prices Further By
–ISM’s Spence: Firms Jittery about Not Being Able to Rely on Stead Economic Policy By Max Sato (MaceNews) – U.S. manufacturing activity expanded for the
Contact Mace News President
Tony Mace tony@macenews.com
to find a customer- and markets-oriented brand of news coverage with a level of individualized service unique to the industry. A market participant told us he believes he has his own White House correspondent as Mace News provides breaking news and/or audio feeds, stories, savvy analysis, photos and headlines delivered how you want them. And more. And this is important because you won’t get it anywhere else. That’s MICRONEWS. We know how important to you are the short advisories on what’s coming up, whether briefings, statements, unexpected changes in schedules and calendars and anything else that piques our interest.
No matter the area being covered, the reporter is always only a telephone call or message away. We check with you frequently to see how we can improve. Have a question, need to be briefed via video or audio-only on a topic’s state of play, keep us on speed dial. See the list of interest areas we cover elsewhere
on this site.
—
You can have two weeks reduced price no-obligation trial for $199. No self-renewing contracts. Suspend, renew coverage at any time. Stay with a topic like trade while its hot and suspend coverage or switch coverage areas when it’s not. We serve customers one by one 24/7.
—
Tony Mace was the top editorial executive for Market News International for two decades.
Washington Bureau Chief Denny Gulino had the same title at Market News for 18 years.
Similar experience undergirds our service in Ottawa, London, Brussels and in Asia.
