BOJ Keeps Easing Stance, To Defend 10-Year JGB Yield at 0.25% in Daily Fixed-Rate Buying Operations
–BOJ Vows to Keep Monetary Support Until 2% Inflation Achieved Despite Weak Yen –Japan Economy Likely to Recover As Pandemic Impact, Supply Bottlenecks Ease –BOJ Board: Core CPI Y/Y Up 1.9% in FY22 Before Slowing to 1.1% in FY23 As Energy Effects Wane By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan said Thursday it […]
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 […]
Japan March Producer Prices Up 9.5% Vs. 9.7% in February, Crude Oil Cost Rise Moderates 
–Japan Producer Prices +0.8% M/M, Led by Electric Power, Chemicals –Japan Producer Prices Rebound 7.3% in Fiscal 2021 After 1.4% Drop By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Producer inflation moderated slightly in March but remained high above 9%, close to a 41-year high, as global supply bottlenecks and high energy costs continued amid uncertainty over the […]
Japan Economic Sentiment Picks Up in March but Uncertainty Lingers Over Costs, Ukraine
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese data and anecdotal evidence are pointing to a resilient economy after the number of Covid cases peaked in February, but households and business continued to face rising costs and uncertainty over the pandemic and geopolitical risks after an expected slump in the first quarter. Economic confidence in Japan partially […]