Japan April Retail Sales Rise Further After Govt Eases Covid Rules in Late March
–METI Upgrades View: Retail Sales Showing Signs of Pickup Vs. Being Flat–Shoppers Flock to Department Stores; Clothing Up on Summer Weather–High Fuel Costs Prop Up Retail Sales; Supply Delays Keep Auto Sales Down By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese retail sales in April posted solid gains for the second straight month both on the year […]
Japan April Industrial Output Slips on Dimmer Global Demand, Chinese Lockdowns
–METI Downgrades View: Factory Output Pausing Vs. Showing Signs of Pickup–METI Repeats: To Watch Effects of Pandemic, Parts Shortages, Inflation, Ukraine By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production posted the first month-on-month drop in three months in April as global reopening demand turned lower and Chinese Covid lockdowns caused further supply delays, preliminary data […]
Japan April Jobless Rate Edges Down to 2-Year Low; Payrolls Post 1st Y/Y Rise in 7 Months
–Number of Lost Jobs Down While More People Look for Other Openings–April Unemployment at 2.5% Lowest Since 2.4% in April 2020 By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese payrolls rose from year-earlier levels for the first time in seven months in April as easing Covid restrictions prompted various service providers to hire more people, while the […]
Japan May Tokyo CPI Y/Y Rise Around BOJ’s 2% Target but FY22 Uptick Seen Temporary
–May Tokyo CPI Annual Rate Highest in Nearly 3 Decades Excluding 2014, 1997 Sales Tax Hike Impact–Energy, Food Prices Lead Inflation; BOJ Sees Impact of Commodity Market Spike Fading in FY23–Gasoline Price Markups Smaller on Govt Subsidies; Utilities Costs High but Also Easing By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The year-on-year rise in consumer prices in […]
Japan Govt Sees Economy Fighting Off Covid, Wants BOJ to Achieve ‘Sustainable’ 2% Inflation
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Wednesday maintained its economic overview for May after upgrading it for the first time in four months in April as consumer spending appears to have overcome an Omicron-hit slump but it also warned about continued uncertainty over global growth amid Chinese Covid lockdowns and the Ukraine war, according […]
Japan April CPI Jumps as Mobile Phone Fee Discount Effects Fade; Energy, Food Up
–Core CPI +2.1% Y/Y Largest in Over 13 Years If 2014 Sales Tax Hike Impact Excluded–Total CPI +2.5% Y/Y Largest in Over 30 Years Excluding Impact of 2014, 1997 Sales Tax Hikes–Energy Costs High but Easing; Household Durable Goods Prices Post 1st Y/Y Rise in 6 Months By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in […]
Japan April Exports Continue Rising on Reopening Demand but Shipments to China Dip
–Exports at 2nd Highest Amount After Hitting Record High in March–Imports at Fresh Record High on Energy, Leading to 9th Straight Trade Deficit–Exports to China Mark 1st Y/Y Drop in 3 Months on Covid Lockdowns By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports continued rising sharply from year-earlier levels in April after hitting a record high […]
Japan March Machine Orders Rebound but Down in Q1; Further Drop Seen in Q2 Amid Uncertainty
–Japan Govt Keeps View: Pickup in Machine Orders Stalling By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese machinery orders, the key leading indicator of business investment in equipment, rebounded sharply in March after plunging in February, but they fell at a faster pace than officially projected in the first quarter of 2022 and a further decline is […]
Japan Q1 GDP Slips on Import Surge but Domestic Demand Resilient Despite Covid Spike
–Private Consumption Flat Vs Sharp Drop Forecast, Capex Rise Solid–Imports Jump on Covid Vaccine Purchases, Outpacing Export Growth–Q2 GDP Rebound Expected but High Costs, Supply Constraints Linger By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s economy contracted slightly in the January-March quarter after a sharp rebound in October-December as a surge in imports pushed down net exports, […]
BofA Global Research Fund Manager Survey: Global Investors Load Up On Cash, Shun Tech in May As Extreme Bearishness Permeates Sentiment
— Highest Cash Levels since 9/11— Biggest Tech Short since August 2006 By Vicki Schmelzer NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Global investors loaded up on cash and shunned the tech sector in May as extreme bearishness permeated market sentiment, according to the findings of BofA Global Research’s monthly fund manager survey, released Tuesday. Average cash balances […]