Eurozone Consumer Prices Rose More Than Expected in December
ZURICH (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in the Eurozone rose more than economists expected in December as energy prices continue to be the main inflation driver, according to the latest preliminary figures from Eurostat. Prices as measured by HICP were 5.0 percent higher in December of 2021 than they were a year ago, rising from a […]
Japan November Household Spending Slumps As Stay-at-Home Demand Eases
— Decline in Covid Cases Leads People To Resume Commuting, Traveling— But Shift to More Activity Fails to Offset Lower Spending on Utilities By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s household expenditures unexpectedly slipped in November from both the previous year and month as a decline in Covid cases prompted more people to travel and resume […]
Italy to Replicate US-Denominated Bonds Issuance in 2022, Further Lengthen Debt Life – Sources
By Silvia Marchetti ROME (Mace News) – Italy’s government plans to issue even more U.S.-denominated bonds this year through regular, “predictable” placements aimed at boosting its role of frequent issuer, according to ruling coalition sources. The goal is to keep diversifying the investors base through new issuances in foreign currencies both in the Global and […]
FOMC Minutes Reflect Surprising Amount of Discussion Re More Aggressive Tightening – But No Conclusions
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The latest minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee released Wednesday afternoon surprised the markets with the amount of discussion about potentially more aggressive than expected tightening moves, despite the lack of any conclusions. Not only did “many participants” judge that the appropriate pace of balance sheet runoff would likely be faster […]
<strong>Draghi’s Chances to Become Italy’s Next President Rise, Party Talks Start – Sources</strong>
By Silvia Marchetti ROME (MaceNews) – Chances are rising that Prime Minister Mario Draghi will be Italy’s next head of state as parties start talks to reach a deal over the appointment, according to ruling coalition sources, even if it will be a “last-minute decision”. On Tuesday, lower house President Roberto Fico is expected to […]
Japan November Factory Output Surges on Further Easing in Supply Bottlenecks
— METI Upgrades View: Factory Output Shows ‘Signs of Pickup’ Vs. ‘Pausing’ — METI Warns of Uncertainty Caused by Pandemic, Materials Shortages By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production posted the second straight monthly rise in November, at a rate higher than forecast, as supply chain disruptions eased further to help carmakers recover some […]
Japan Nov Unemployment Ticks Up; Job Cuts Linger in Pandemic-Hit Sectors
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Improvement in the Japanese labor market paused in November as job cuts continued in some sectors hit by supply chain constraints and cautious consumer behavior during the pandemic, data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed. The seasonally adjusted average unemployment rate in Japan rose to […]
Japan Nov Retail Sales Up on Fuel Price Rise, Eased Covid Restrictions 
— METI Revises Up View: Retail Sales Showing ‘Signs of Pickup’ Vs. ‘Flat’ — Vehicles Sales Drop Smaller As Supply Chain Constraints Alleviated By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese retail sales posted a second straight year-on-year rise in November, with the pace of increase accelerating from October as fuel prices continued rising and people went […]
Japan Nov Core CPI Posts Solid Gain Amid Rising Energy, Processed Food Costs 
— Core, Total CPI Measures Mark 3rd Straight Y/Y Gains on Tight Supply — Core-Core CPI (Excluding Fresh Food, Energy) Down For 8th Month in A Row By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Japan picked up their pace of year-on-year increase in November, led by rising utilities, fuels and processed food costs amid […]
President Biden’s Thumbs Down Moment Fails to Dampen His Optimism
By Eric Ham WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – After months of back and forth negotiations, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has seemingly sealed the fate of President Biden’s signature agenda item, Build Back Better. The Democratic senator announced—on Fox News—that he will not support the nearly $2 trillion spending package. “I cannot vote to continue with this […]