Japan July Household Spending Sluggish Amid Covid-19 Restrictions
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s household spending was lackluster in July, posting a weaker-than-expected rise from a year earlier and marking the third straight month-on-month decline, as restrictions on economic activity lingered, data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed. The government is not imposing lockdowns in its efforts to […]
Japan PM Suga Not Seeking Re-Election Amid Public Rage Over Covid Surge
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is dropping out of the ruling party leadership race this month, effectively stepping down at the end of his short term, amid public furor over his government’s failure to contain the pandemic. Suga told an extraordinary executive meeting at the Liberal Democratic Party Friday that […]
Report: Japan PM Suga Plans To Dissolve Diet in Mid-Sept, Delay Party Poll
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Faced with voter discontent with government failure to contain the pandemic, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga plans to call a snap election for the lower house of parliament in mid-September, delaying the already announced process to pick the ruling party chief, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported late Tuesday. Suga is expected […]
Japan July Factory Output Dips As Automakers Face Supply Constraints
–Japan’s METI Keeps View: Factory Output Picking Up –METI Repeats: Watch Effects of Rising COVID Cases, Global Chip Shortages By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production slipped in July from the previous month, as pandemic-caused lockdowns in Southeast Asia stifled global supply chain networks, but the pickup trend, led by export growth, appears to […]
Japan Aug Tokyo Core CPI Improves to Flat on Energy, Hotels After Year-Long Slump
— Gasoline Markup Slows While Electricity Bills Now Up on Year — Air Conditioners, Property Insurance Premiums Also Support Prices By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The core reading of consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of the national average, was unchanged from a year earlier in August, firming after a year-long decline, thanks to […]
Japan Govt Repeats Economic Pickup Intact, Led by Global Recovery
By Max Sato — Govt Warns of Risk Posed by Southeast Asian Lockdowns on Supply Chains (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Thursday repeated that the economy is still headed for recovery after the Q2 GDP data showed unexpectedly resilient consumer spending and a rebound in business investment, but warned about the downside risk posed by a […]
Japan July Core CPI Posts 12th Straight Monthly Y/Y Drop Under 2020 Base Year
— Total CPI Marks 10th Straight Y/Y Fall, Also Reversing Slight Pickup — July’s Y/Y Declines in All Major CPI Measures Decelerate from June — Higher Energy, Some Food, Appliances Costs Ease Mobile Phone Downward Pressure By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s core consumer prices reversed recent modest gains backed by higher energy costs, posting […]
Japan July Exports Continue Rising From Pandemic-Hit 2020; Flat on Month
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports continued posting a sharp year-on-year rise in July, recovering from the pandemic-caused slump of 2020, led by demand for automobiles and steel as seen in recent months, data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance showed. Japanese passenger cars, steel and semiconductor-producing equipment continued drawing strong demand while […]
Japan June Machine Orders Dip, Rebound in Q2; Sharp Q3 Rise Seen
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese machinery orders, the key leading indicator of business investment in equipment, took a breather in June after three months of gains, but they appear to be headed for a sharp gain in the July-September quarter after a rebound in April-June, data released Wednesday by the Cabinet Office showed. Orders […]
BofA Global Research Fund Manager Survey: Prospects of Fed Taper, China Easing, Delta Variant Concerns Weigh on Growth Outlook
By Vicki Schmelzer NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve tapering prospects, potential People’s Bank of China easing and the fast-paced spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant weighed on the growth outlook in August, according to the findings of BofA Global Research’s monthly fund manager survey, released Tuesday. Even though world growth expectations slipped more markedly […]