Japan Q4 GDP Revised Down on Lower Inventories; No Major Change To Solid Capex, Consumption
By Max Sato Gradual Economic Recovery Seen After Pullback in Q1 (MaceNews) – Japan’s economy posted the second straight quarter-on-quarter expansion in October-December but at a slightly slower pace than previously reported, as the decline in private-sector inventories turned out to sharper than initially estimated, Cabinet Office data released Tuesday showed. There was no major […]
Japan Jan Household Spending Plunges As Govt Urges Restrictions To Fight Pandemic
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s household spending posted a sharper-than-expected drop in January as the government called for restricted economic activity to slow the spread of the pandemic, data released Friday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed. Expenditures on eating out and traveling are estimated to have remained weak for the […]
Japan MOF Survey Shows Q4 Capex Drop Slows; GDP Revision Seen Limited
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Business investment in equipment by many Japanese companies stayed below year-earlier levels in the October-December quarter, but the pace of decline decelerated as firms gradually resumed spending on factories and systems during the pandemic, a quarterly survey by the Ministry of Finance released Tuesday showed. This and other pieces of […]
Japan Jan Factory Output Rebounds But Pullback Forecast For Feb/Mar
– Shipments Also Rebound, Inventories Dip, Reflecting Solid Demand – METI: Limited Impact of Govt’s Request for Restricted Economic Activity By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production rebounded in January, marking the first rise in three months, reflecting solid domestic and overseas demand despite the pandemic, preliminary data released Friday by the Ministry of […]
Japan Feb Tokyo CPI Shows Small Drop As Food, Energy Downtrend Eases
– Weak Energy Still Key Factor Behind Year-on-Year CPI Decline – Government Has Suspended Travel Discounts but Hotels Cut Prices Amid Slump By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of the national average, were little changed in February from January, leading to a smaller year-on-year drop in key measures as […]
Japan Government Downgrades View: Economy Picking Up, But ‘Weakness in Some Areas’
— Consumption Slower Amid Pandemic While Capex Playing Catchup — Japan Sees Pickup in Global Demand, Upgrading Views on S. Korea, Indonesia By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Friday downgraded its overview on the domestic economy for the first time since last April, when the first wave of COVID-19 infections prompted shorter business hours […]
Japan Jan CPI Y/Y Drop Shrinks on Suspended Travel Discounts Amid Pandemic
— Lower Energy Costs Remain Key Factor Behind Weak Consumer Prices By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The energy-led downtrend in Japanese consumer prices eased substantially in January as the government suspended discounts on leisure traveling amid surging new coronavirus cases, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication released Friday showed. The improvement was […]
Japan Jan Exports Mark 2nd Straight Y/Y Rise on Global Silicon Cycle Uptrend
–Pre-Lunar Holiday Rush Shipments Also Supported Higher Export Growth —Japanese Carmakers Plan To Trim Output Amid Semiconductor Shortages By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports posted the second straight year-on-year increase in January, reflecting the recent recovery trend in global demand for semiconductors, but the faster pace of increase from December was also due to […]
JAPAN Q4 GDP POSTS 2ND STRAIGHT Q/Q RISE BUT STILL DOWN ON YEAR
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s economy posted the second straight quarter-on-quarter expansion in October-December on firmer global demand, solid consumer spending and a rebound in business investment, but total domestic output remained below year-earlier levels for the fifth consecutive quarter amid the pandemic-caused slowdown, Cabinet Office data released Monday showed. Economists on average expect […]
JAPAN ECONOMIC SENTIMENT MIXED AS SUPPORT FOR SUGA GOVT SLIPS
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer and business confidence in Japan is mixed due to pandemic lifestyles, while voter support for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga continues to slide on public disappointment with what critics call a behind-the-curve policy response and complacency among ruling-camp politicians. Demand for takeout food, groceries and household appliances and furniture remains […]