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 […]
Wht Hse Transcript: Background Briefing on Biden Omicron Address
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is the White House transcript of Monday night’s background teleconference previewing President Biden’s address Tuesday afternoon (2:30p ET) on the Omicron variant and prospective measures – too late to meet the challenges of holiday gatherings – being taken to mitigate its impact: Background Press Call Previewing the President’s Speech on […]
Japan Govt Upgrades View: Economy Pickup Firmer As Covid Rules Ease
–Upward Revision 1st in 17 Months Since July 2020, when Covid Cases Ebbed–Govt Sees Consumption, Business Sentiment Firmer But Capex Pickup Pausing By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Tuesday upgraded its economic overview for the first time in 17 months in light of a steady improvement in consumer spending after the government eased its […]
The Manchinator Chews Through Dem’s ’22 Hopes; Republicans Rejoice
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The shock wave from what many Democrats see as Sunday’s betrayal by their own Sen. Joe Manchin, killing the Build Back Better bill supporting Democratic hopes for next year’s mid-term elections, triggered anger and despondency on one side of the aisle and rejoicing and hallelujahs on the other side. […]
Fed’s Waller Urges March Funds Rate Liftoff, Followed by Balance Sheet Shrinking
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller Friday said the Fed should start raising short-term interest rates “shortly” after it finishes buying bonds in March – perhaps immediately thereafter. What’s more, Waller advocated starting to shrink the Fed’s bloated balance sheet soon after it starts raising the federal funds rate, which […]
BOJ Keeps Easing Stance, Tweaks Covid Funding Scheme Toward Small Firms
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan said Friday it is ending parts of its anti-Covid special financing program aimed at supporting large firms, whose financial conditions have improved, while extending its feature of helping hard-hit small businesses, particularly those in the service sector. As expected, the BOJ decided to maintain its interest […]