Japan January Producer Price Y/Y Rise Slows on Easing Energy, Commodities

–Japan Producer Prices Rebound M/M After Being Flat in December By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Producer prices in Japan continued rising from year-earlier levels in January amid lingering supply bottlenecks but the pace of increase decelerated further after hitting an over four-decade high in November in light of what appears to be a temporary easing […]

Updated Preview: Japan Q4 GDP Rebound Seen on Easing Supply Bottlenecks, Covid Lull

–Updates with latest consumption data in paras 6-7, government measures in para 17, ESP Forecast in paras 18-19, Watchers’ survey at bottom — Consumption, Capex, Net Export Gains Behind Expected Solid Q4 Growth — Q1 GDP Face Downside Risks As Omicron-Led Covid Spike Hurts Sentiment  By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s gross domestic product for […]

Japan Dec Household Spending Dips Again; Q4 Rise Points To Solid GDP Growth

— Oct-Dec Household Spending +4.6% Q/Q; Q4 GDP Seen Up 1.4% Q/Q— Shrinking Demand for TVs, Food for Cooking Leads To Y/Y Drop in December— Spending on Dining Out, Traveling Up Y/Y But Ministry Keeps Close Watch By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s household spending suffered a slight drop from a year earlier in December […]

PREVIEW: Japan Q4 GDP Rebound Seen on Easing Supply Bottlenecks, Covid Lull

— Consumption, Capex, Net Export Gains Behind Expected Solid Q4 Growth — Q1 GDP Face Downside Risks as Omicron-Led Covid Spike Hurts Sentiment   By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s gross domestic product for the October-December quarter is forecast by economists to post a 1.4% rebound on quarter, or an annualized 5.8% rise, as easing […]

Japan December Unemployment Dips; Fewer Workers Quit To Look For Better Jobs

— Job Cuts on Year Linger in Industries Hit by Supply Delays, Covid Restrictions — Japan 2021 Jobless Rate Stays at 2.8%, Pace of Job Cuts Decelerates By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The pandemic is keeping the recovery in the Japanese labor market slow as some sectors continued to trim payrolls from year-earlier levels, but […]

Japan December Factory Output Dips After November’s Record High Rise

— General, Production Machine Output Lower; Autos Continue Picking Up— METI Repeats: Factory Output Shows Signs of Pickup— METI: Effects of Rapid Spread of Pandemic, Parts Shortages Emerging By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production posted the first drop in three months in December, taking a breather after a surge in November, but carmakers […]

Japan METI Unintentionally Posts +1.4% M/M Dec Retail Sales Hours Early

— METI Official: Data Embargoed on New Internal Computer System— METI Official: May Be Due To Human Error But Cannot Confirm Yet By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese retail sales rose modestly, posting the third straight year-on-year rise in December, when consumers appeared to have braved the early stage of the Omicron storm during the […]

BOJ Dec Minutes: Still Need Easy Money After Shrinking Covid Funding Program

— BOJ Members Also Debate Upside, Downside Risks Amid Uncertain Outlook By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Bank of Japan board members called for a continued accommodative monetary policy stance, saying the situation in Japan is different from other major economies where central banks are trying to control high inflation, the minutes of the bank’s Dec. […]

Japan Dec Core CPI Rise Slows on Durable Goods, Hotels Amid Rising Energy

— Both Core and Total CPI Measures Mark 4th Straight Y/Y Gains— Utilities Push Up Overall Energy Costs, Offsetting Recent Pullback in Gasoline— Japan 2021 CPI Down 0.2%, 2nd Straight Annual Drop After -0.2% in 2020 By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Rising utilities and processed food costs propped up consumer prices in Japan in December […]