JAPAN NOV TOKYO CORE CPI POSTS LARGEST Y/Y DROP IN OVER 8 YEARS AMID SLIDING ENERGY COSTS

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of the national average, posted a larger-than-expected drop in November, amid falling energy prices and a controversial government program to support the pandemic-hit tourism industry with hotel and transport discounts, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released Friday showed. The […]

JAPAN OCT CPI DROP DEEPER ON WEAKER ENERGY, GOVT-FINANCED TRAVEL DISCOUNTS

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese consumer prices posted a sharper drop in October as energy costs were slow to recover amid the global pandemic and the government campaign to save the hard-hit tourism industry by subsidizing hefty discounts had a wider impact, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication released Friday showed. […]

ANALYSIS: JAPAN FACES SLOW RIDE BACK TO PRE-COVID LEVEL OUTPUT

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – With luck, Japan’s economy has recovered about half of lost output amid the global pandemic and its momentum is lingering into the current quarter, but it is likely to lose steam in the New Year and could contract again. For an economy heavily dependent on China as a consumption and […]

JAPAN Q3 GDP RECOVERS HALF OF PANDEMIC-CAUSED RECORD PLUNGE IN Q2

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s economy for the July-September quarter surged 5.0% on quarter, or an annualized 21.4%, led by a rebound in net exports and consumer spending, but it only recovered just over a half of a record plunge in April-June amid the pandemic-triggered slowdown, Cabinet Office data released Monday showed. The first […]

STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY- DIVERSITY OF OPINION OR MUTUAL HATRED?

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Friday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. Quote of the week: “You know what’s really uncomfortable and annoying? When you die.” That’s New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, of course. The quote has been played through the day cablewise so it’s […]

JAPAN Q3 GDP FORECAST TO SHOW SOME RECOVERY FROM Q2 PLUNGE

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s gross domestic product for the July-September quarter is forecast by economists to show a 4.4% rise on quarter, or an annualized 19.0%, led by a rebound in net exports and consumer spending, recovering about half of the 7.9% plunge (28.1% annualized) in April-June caused by the pandemic. The median […]

JAPAN SEPT HOUSEHOLD SPENDING DOWN Y/Y BUT Q3 RISE TO SUPPORT GDP GROWTH

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s household spending in September continued to slump from a year earlier, hit by the October 2019 sales tax hike and the global pandemic, but a quarter-on-quarter gain indicates consumption supported solid GDP growth after a third consecutive contraction through April-June, data released Friday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs […]

STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY – STOWING THE AMMO BEFORE ELECTION DAY

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Thursday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. ·        Does anyone still care that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin exchanged letters, each listing the deficiencies in the other’s position on pandemic relief. Suffice to say they’re far […]

JAPAN SEPT FACTORY OUTPUT ON PICKUP TREND BUT LEVEL STILL LOW

(MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production continued to crawl out of a pandemic-caused plunge seen in the spring on recovery domestic and overseas demand, marking a fourth straight month-on-month gain in September, but the level of output remains low, preliminary data released Friday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed. The key points from […]