Japan June Retail Sales Post 4th Straight Y/Y Rise but Pace Slows 
–METI Keeps View After May Upgrade: Retail Sales Picking Up Gradually –Department Store Sales Continue Recovering on Eased Covid Rules –High Fuel Costs Prop Up Retail Sales; Supply Delays Keep Auto Sales Weak By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese retail sales posted the fourth year-on-year rise in June, led by high fuel prices and recovering […]
Japan June Industrial Output Rebounds After China Ends Covid Lockdown 
–METI Upgrades View After Downgrades: Output Making One Step Forward, One Step Back –METI: To Watch Effects of Rising Covid Cases, Parts Shortages, Inflation By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production rebounded more strongly than expected in June as China ended its Covid lockdown of Shanghai but parts shortages and logistical bottlenecks continued to […]
Japan July Tokyo CPI Annual Rate Faster Than Expected as Firms Pass Higher Costs
–Energy, Food Prices Lead Inflation; BOJ Still Sees Commodities Spike Easing in FY23 –Gasoline Price Markups Smaller on Govt Subsidies; Utilities Pick Up Pace Again By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The year-on-year rise in consumer prices in Tokyo, the leading indicator of the national average, posted a slightly faster-than-expected pace in July, just above the […]
Japan June Jobless Rate Unchanged; Job Growth Continues Rising on Year
–Numbers of Lost Jobs, People Looking for Other Openings Both Drop in June –June Unemployment at 2.6% After Ticking Up from April’s 2-Year Low 2.5% By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese payrolls posted the third straight increase from year-earlier levels in June as Covid restrictions were eased in late March, while the unemployment rate was […]
Japan Government Upgrades View: Consumption, Jobs Leading Gradual Economic Pickup
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Tuesday upgraded its economic overview for the first time in three months in July as consumption is on a clearer pickup path, led by job creation and pent-up demand, but real wages are falling amid rising inflation and the weaker yen is eroding purchasing power, according to its […]
Japan June CPI Ticks Up Above 2% as Food, Appliance Price Hikes Spread; Energy Gains Slower 
–Core CPI +2.2% Y/Y Remains Largest in Over 13 Years If 2014 Sales Tax Hike Impact Excluded –BOJ’s Kuroda Says No Rate Hike in Cards, Japan Economy Still Needs Support–BOJ Board Revises Up CPI Forecasts But Stable 2% Inflation Still Far Ahead By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer inflation in Japan ticked up above 2% […]
BOJ Kuroda Repeats No Plans for Rate Hike, Rapid Yen Drop Undesirable
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda made it clear once again that the bank’s policymakers are “not considering raising interest rates at all” given their latest outlook that domestic inflation is unlikely to be anchored around its 2% target in the next few years. He told a post-meeting news conference […]
BOJ Keeps Easing Stance; Revises Up CPI Forecast, Sees Slower FY22 GDP Growth
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan said Thursday it is maintaining its super-low interest rate targets along the yield curve and large asset purchases, as expected, to help the economy fully recover from the pandemic-caused slump and anchor inflation around its stable 2% target. To keep speculative market forces from pushing the […]
Japan June Exports Hit Record High, Shipments to China Rebound After Covid Lockdown
–Exports Hit Fresh Record High on Reopening Demand, Rising Costs –Imports Mark 4th Straight Month of Record High amid High Oil and Gas Prices –In 1H 2022, Exports, Imports Reach All-Time Highs, Trade Deficit Largest By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Solid reopening demand for mineral fuels, iron and steel, and semiconductors led Japanese export values […]
Japan June Producer Inflation Eases Slightly on Slower Lumber, Steel Gains; Fuels Pick Up Again
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Producer inflation in Japan eased slightly in June after hitting a 41-year high in April as year-on-year gains in the costs for lumber and wood products as well as iron and steel slowed, while the prices of gasoline and other fuels picked up the pace of increase again, data released […]