–September’s Annal Rate Revised Up to 10.2%, Highest in 41 Years
–Weak Yen Continues Boosting Import Costs for Producers
By Max Sato
(MaceNews) – Producer inflation in Japan came in higher than expected in October as utility charges surged above 40%, iron and steel prices remained high, up over 20%, and a faster pace of increase in the costs for pulp, textiles and metal products offset a marked slowdown in fuels and lumber, data released Friday by the Bank of Japan showed.
BOJ policymakers are expected to maintain their easing stance for now. They do not expect consumer inflation to be anchored around its stable 2% target any time soon after what they see as a temporary spike to around 3% this year. Japan’s output gap remains negative.
The key points of domestic CGPI:
* The corporate goods price index (CGPI) rose 9.1% on the year in October, coming in above the median economist forecast of an 8.8% rise. It was the 20th consecutive gain. The annual rate in September was revised up to 10.2% from an initial 9.7%, exceeding the previous 41-year high of a revised 9.9 percent rise in April. It is the highest since December 1980, when the index jumped 10.4% for the 14th straight month of double-digit percentage gains in the wake of the 1979 oil crisis triggered by the Iranian Revolution.
* The depreciation of the yen continues exerting upward pressures on already high import costs at producer levels, which also marked the 20th straight year-on-year rise. The increase in yen terms was larger at 42.6% in October (revised 48.5% in September), compared to 16.6% (revised 21.5% previously) in contract currencies. The pace in yen-based price increase has slowed from a revised 49.1% jump in July.
* The producer costs for electric power, gas and water – the category that is also driving consumer prices higher – surged 43.2% on the year in October, with the pace of increase accelerating further from a revised 38.9% in September. Iron and steel maintained a double-digit percentage gain but posted a slower increase of 22.4% after rising 27.0% the previous month. The prices for non-ferrous metals rose 8.2% in October, decelerating from a revised 11.6% gain in September. Those for chemicals also slowed to an 8.7% rise from an 11.0% increase.
* Upward pressures were seen in the prices for pulp and paper (up 9.5% in October versus 7.9% in September), textiles (up 5.9% versus 4.3%) and information and communications equipment (up 6.2% versus 5.2%)
* The prices for food and beverages, which has a high weighting of 144.6 out of 10,000 for the domestic CGPI, rose 6.9% on the year in October after rising at the same pace in September. Those for transport equipment (150.9 weight) rose 4.3% after a 5.0% gain the previous month.
* The prices for lumber and wood products rose just 1.0% from a year earlier in October, slowing further from an 8.6% rise in September and about 20.0% seen in August. The year-over-year rise in the prices for petroleum and coal products showed a marked slowdown to 2.6% in October from 14.5% in September.
* On the month, the domestic CGPI rose 0.6% in October after rising 1.0% (revised up from 0.7%) in September and hitting a recent peak of a revised 1.6% rise in April. The pace was slower than the median economist forecast of a 0.8% gain. The increase was led by higher costs for iron and steel, utilities, farm produce as well as beverages and foods (sparkling alcohol drinks, near beer, formula feeds and meat products). Fuels and lumber prices declined from the previous month.