Japan January Industrial Output Dips As Covid Infections Hit Auto Factories

–METI Keeps View Output Shows Signs of Pickup As Firms See Rebound in Feb –METI To Watch Effects of Spread of Pandemic, Parts Shortages, Ukraine  By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production posted the second straight drop in January, slipping after a surge in November, as a spike in Omicron-led coronavirus cases caused some […]

Japan February Tokyo Core CPI Rise Picks Up From January on Utilities, Processed Food

–Hotel Fees Slower After 2021 Double-Digit Gains Over 2020 Subsidized Discounts–Utilities Leading Energy Higher; Durable Goods Down As Stay-at-Home Demand Wanes–Most of Base Effect in Mobile Phone User Fee Cuts To Last Through March By Mas Sato (MaceNews) – The year-on-year rise in consumer prices in Tokyo, the leading indicator of the national average, picked […]

Analysis: Japan Economy Faces Headwind in Light of Russian Invasion of Ukraine

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s wobbly economic recovery faces downside risks from high energy and commodities prices, which have surged on tensions over Ukraine between Russia and the West and could rise further on supply concerns now that Russia has invaded its neighbour. The direct impact of economic sanctions against Moscow on Japan’s trade […]

Japan January Core CPI Rise Shrinks as Hotel, Insurance Upward Base Effects Wane

— Both Core and Total CPI Measures Mark 5th Straight Y/Y Gains on Energy — Utilities Push Up Overall Energy Costs; Durable Goods Prices Slide By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Japan posted the fifth straight year-on-year rise in January but the pace of increase decelerated sharply as the 2021 base effects of […]

Japan Government Downgrades View: Some Weakness Seen in Pickup Hit by Covid

— Pickup in Consumption Pausing on Resumed Covid Restrictions — Business Investment Moving Upward as Seen in Q4 GDP Rebound By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Thursday downgraded its economic overview for the first time in five months, noting the recent spike in coronavirus cases sparked by the Omicron variant is hurting consumer spending, […]

Japan January Exports Post 11th Straight Rise on Reopening Demand but Pace Slows

–Import Gain Remains High on Energy, Leading to 6th Straight Trade Deficit –Exports to China Slip Leading to Lunar New Year Holidays –Auto Shipments Slide After Recent Pickup on Easing Supply Bottlenecks By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports rose from a year earlier for the 11th straight month in January but at a slower […]

Japan December, Q4 Machine Orders Continue Rising; Slight Setback Seen in Q1

–Japan Government Upgrades View for 2nd Month: Machine Orders Picking Up By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese machinery orders, the key leading indicator of business investment in equipment, unexpectedly posted a third straight monthly gain in December, boding well for capital investment, which marked a modest rebound in October-December to support Q4 GDP growth, data […]

Japan Q4 GDP Rebounds as Parts Supply Improves, Covid Cases Subside

–Growth Led by Sharp Rise in Consumption, Modest Gains in Capex, Net Exports –Q1 GDP Faces Downside Risks As Govt Resumes Restrictions To Fight Rapid Covid Spread   –Japan’s Economy Posts 1st Growth in 3 Years in 2021 By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s economy rebounded in the October-December quarter, after contracting in July-September, as the […]