Japan April Producer Inflation Hits Fresh 41-Year High of 10% on Crude Oil, Steel, Metals
–Japan April Producer Prices Also Jump 1.2% on Month on Naphtha, Fuel Oil–BOJ Sees Core CPI Temporarily Up at 2% in Fiscal 2022 But Not Anchored By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Producer inflation in Japan surged to a fresh 41-year high, hitting10% in April as the year-on-year increase in crude oil, steel products and non-ferrous […]
Japan March Household Spending Rebounds M/M on Eased Covid Rules
–Spending Posts 1st Y/Y Drop in 3 Months as People Cook Less at Home –January-March Spending Dips Q/Q, Hit by Omicron-led Spike in Covid Cases By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s real household spending posted the first month-on-month rise in three months in March as the government eased public health restrictions and the weather improved […]
Japan April Tokyo CPI Jumps to Around 2% as Mobile Phone Charge Discount Base Effects Ease Off 
–BOJ Board Sees CPI Jump in FY22 as Temporary; FY23 CPI to Slip Back to 1% –Utilities, Food Prices Lead Inflation; Impact of Energy Market Spike Seen Fading Next Year –Energy Prices Post 1st Slowing in Current Y/Y Rise Phase; Govt Subsidies Capping Gasoline Markups By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The year-on-year rise in consumer […]
Japan March Retail Sales Rebound as Govt Eases Covid Restrictions 
–METI Repeats Retail Sales Are Flat After Downgrading Its View in February –Department Store Sales Rebound, Fuels Up, Demand for Medicine, Cosmetic Solid By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese retail sales rebounded on the year in March while marking the first monthly rise in four months as the government eased public health restrictions and the […]
Japan March Industrial Output Up Slightly on Reopening Demand Amid Easing Covid Effects
–METI Keeps View: Factory Output Shows Signs of Pickup –METI: To Watch Effects of Pandemic, Parts Shortages, Inflation, Ukraine By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production posted the second straight month-on-month rise in March as reopening demand for chip-making equipment and other machines amid easing Covid effects offset a decline in auto output caused […]
Japan March Jobless Rate Slides to Nearly 2-Year Low; Job Recovery Slow
–Number of Employed Up on Month in March but Continues to Fall on Year –March Unemployment at 2.6% Lowest Since April 2020 By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese payrolls shrank from year-earlier levels for the sixth straight month in March while the unemployment rate remained relatively low, improving slightly to a nearly two-year low […]
Japan March CPI Rise Accelerates on Energy, Food; Subsidies Cap Gasoline Prices 
–Both Core and Total CPI Measures Mark 7th Straight Y/Y Gains –Utilities Continue Pushing Up Energy; Durable Goods Price Drop Eases –Most of Base Effects of Sharp Mobile Phone Fee Discounts To Fade in April –Fiscal 2021 Total, Core Inch Up, Core-Core (Ex-Fresh Food, Energy) Posts 1st Drop in 9 Years By Max Sato (MaceNews) […]
Japan Upgrades Economic View as Easing Covid Impact Supports Spending; Uncertainty Remains
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Thursday upgraded its overview for the first time in four months as the drag from an Omicron-led spike in coronavirus cases is easing to support consumption despite surging food and energy prices and uncertainty over the war in Ukraine, according to its monthly report released by the Cabinet […]
Japan March, Fiscal 2021 Exports Hit Record Highs, Imports Surge at Faster Pace
–Imports Also at Record High on Energy, Leading to 8th Straight Trade Deficit –Exports to China Slower in March, Volumes Down on Year –Auto Exports Slip in March After February Rebound Amid Supply Bottlenecks By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports hit a record high in March, marking the 13th straight year-on-year increase, on reopening […]
Japan February Machine Orders Post 2nd Straight Monthly Drop Amid Uncertainty
–Japan Govt Downgrades View: Pickup in Machine Orders Stalling By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese machinery orders, the key leading indicator of business investment in equipment, posted a sharper-than-expected second straight monthly drop in February amid uncertainty over economic growth caused by surging producer costs and the war in Ukraine, data released Wednesday by the […]