Japan’s October Energy-Led CPI Rise Capped by Deeper Mobile Phone Discounts
— Gasoline, Heating Oil, Utilities Costs Up Sharply Amid Rising Energy Markets — Total CPI Marks 2nd Straight Y/Y Gain; Slower on Fresh Food Price Drop — Producer Price Spike Has Limited Impact on CPI But BOJ Sees Gradual Pickup By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Core consumer prices in Japan maintained a small step upward […]
Eurozone October Final HICP Rose 4.1% vs Year Ago, Matching Preliminary Result
ZURICH (MaceNews) – Inflation in the countries sharing the euro rose 4.1% in October, according to final figures released today by Eurostat, and confirmed the preliminary result. Energy prices were the main driver of the gain as they were 23.7% higher than year ago levels, and contributed 2.21 percentage points to the overall increase, according […]
San Fran Fed’s Daly Calls For ‘Patience’ Regarding Monetary Tightening
–Wants More ‘Clarity” Before Adjusting Taper Pace, Funds Rate –Moved Liftoff Date From 2024 to 2023; Not Sure About 2022 Given Delta –Data Too ‘Cloudy’; Tightening Policy Further Could Be ‘Costly,’’Mistake’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly called Tuesday for “patience” and urged the Fed to await […]
FOMC: Tapering of Bond Buying to Start Later This Month, Continue in December
– Fed To Cut Treasury Securities By $10 Billion; MBS $5 Billion Per Month – Powell: Tapering Apt to End Mid-2022, but Adjustable Depending on Conditions – FOMC Still ‘Expects’ Inflation To Be ‘Transitory,’ but Powell More Worried – Powell Says ‘Won’t Hesitate’ To Raise Rates to Counter Inflation if Needed By Steven K. Beckner […]
Japan Oct Tokyo Core CPI Posts Only Small Gain, Led by Higher Energy Costs
— Electricity Charges, Gasoline Prices Pick Up Pace of Y/Y Gains— Mobile Communication Fees Show Deeper Drop, Limiting CPI Rise By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The core reading of consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of the national average, posted the second consecutive but small year-over-year gain in October as higher electricity bills and […]
BOJ Keeps Easing Stance; Covid Risk Remains, Public Inflation Views Picking Up
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan said Thursday it is maintaining its stimulative policy, as expected, to support economic recovery from the pandemic-caused 2020 slump and continue guiding near-zero inflation toward its elusive 2% target. The central bank remains optimistic about the medium-term outlook for steady recovery following short-term weakness, but also […]
Japan Sept Core CPI Marks 1st Y/Y Rise in 18 Months on Utilities
— Overall Energy Costs Up; Pace of Gasoline Markup Eases Slightly— Total CPI Posts 1st Y/Y Gain in 13 Months on Rebound in Fresh Food— Downward Pressure From Low Cost Mobile Phone Plans Lingers By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Global supply chain disruptions and reopening demand led energy and processed food costs to rise further, […]
ANALYSIS: Japan Faces Cost Inflation Amid Weak Yen, Slow Wage Growth
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Rising energy and commodities prices may help lift Japan’s near-zero inflation rate but a further rise in the costs for daily necessities would dampen already wobbly consumer spending and surging producer prices would hurt small businesses that cannot pass higher input costs on to customers amid uncertain growth prospects. Japan […]
Fed’s Beige Book Sees ‘Significantly Elevated Prices’
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Federal Reserve’s survey of economic conditions coast to coast Wednesday found “significantly elevated prices” and some regional Fed districts in which growth slowed, hampered by labor shortages, supply disruptions and, of course, the Delta variant. Auto sales declined and some districts “noted increased uncertainty and more cautious optimism than in previous […]
NY Fed’s Williams Opposes Raising FOMC Inflation Target From 2%
–Stresses Need To Anchor Inflation Expectations at 2% By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – New York Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams defended the Fed’s 2% average inflation target Friday, while emphasizing the need to solidify expectations around that rate. Williams, vice chairman of the Fed’s policymaking Federal Open Market Committee, acknowledged that the real […]