Japan April Jobless Rate Edges Down to 2-Year Low; Payrolls Post 1st Y/Y Rise in 7 Months
–Number of Lost Jobs Down While More People Look for Other Openings–April Unemployment at 2.5% Lowest Since 2.4% in April 2020 By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese payrolls rose from year-earlier levels for the first time in seven months in April as easing Covid restrictions prompted various service providers to hire more people, while the […]
Fed’s Waller Backs Hiking Funds Rate 50 bp At ‘Several Meetings’
Won’t Take 50 bp Hikes Off the Table Until Inflation Closer To 2% Wants Funds Rate Above Neutral By Year’s End To Curb Demand Market Expectations For 250 bp Tightening ‘Consistent’ With FOMC Plans Prepared To Do More If Inflation Stays ‘Stubbornly High’ Hopes Fed Can Curb Inflation Without Sharp Rise in Unemployment By Steven […]
Japan May Tokyo CPI Y/Y Rise Around BOJ’s 2% Target but FY22 Uptick Seen Temporary
–May Tokyo CPI Annual Rate Highest in Nearly 3 Decades Excluding 2014, 1997 Sales Tax Hike Impact–Energy, Food Prices Lead Inflation; BOJ Sees Impact of Commodity Market Spike Fading in FY23–Gasoline Price Markups Smaller on Govt Subsidies; Utilities Costs High but Also Easing By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The year-on-year rise in consumer prices in […]
FOMC Minutes Show Near-Term Policy Consensus, Longer Term Division
Officials Agreed Need to Move ‘Expeditiously’ To Neutral ‘Most’ Thought 50 bp Hikes in June, July Likely To Be Appropriate ‘Many’ Thought ‘Expediting’ Tightening Would Let Fed Assess Stance Later ‘Several’ Saw Challenge Restoring Price Stability With Strong Job Market ‘A Number’ Favored MBS Sales Once Balance Sheet Reduction Underway By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) […]
Japan Govt Sees Economy Fighting Off Covid, Wants BOJ to Achieve ‘Sustainable’ 2% Inflation
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Wednesday maintained its economic overview for May after upgrading it for the first time in four months in April as consumer spending appears to have overcome an Omicron-hit slump but it also warned about continued uncertainty over global growth amid Chinese Covid lockdowns and the Ukraine war, according […]
Japan Q1 GDP Slips on Import Surge but Domestic Demand Resilient Despite Covid Spike
–Private Consumption Flat Vs Sharp Drop Forecast, Capex Rise Solid–Imports Jump on Covid Vaccine Purchases, Outpacing Export Growth–Q2 GDP Rebound Expected but High Costs, Supply Constraints Linger By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s economy contracted slightly in the January-March quarter after a sharp rebound in October-December as a surge in imports pushed down net exports, […]
Powell Vows Fed Will ‘Keep Going’ Til ‘Clear And Convincing’ Evidence Inflation Falling
FOMC Will Hike ‘More Aggressively” if Inflation Doesn’t Cool Won’t Hesitate To Raise Funds Rate Beyond Neutral Unemployment May Have to Rise ‘A Few Ticks’; Landing May Have To Be ‘Softish’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell vowed Tuesday the Fed will continue to raise interest rates until it sees […]
BofA Global Research Fund Manager Survey: Global Investors Load Up On Cash, Shun Tech in May As Extreme Bearishness Permeates Sentiment
— Highest Cash Levels since 9/11— Biggest Tech Short since August 2006 By Vicki Schmelzer NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Global investors loaded up on cash and shunned the tech sector in May as extreme bearishness permeated market sentiment, according to the findings of BofA Global Research’s monthly fund manager survey, released Tuesday. Average cash balances […]
Preview Update: Japan Q1 GDP Contraction Seen Amid Covid Restrictions, Supply Delays
–Consumption Hit by Public Health Rules During Most of January-March –Capex Slower on Supply Constraints, High Producer Costs Amid Ukraine War –Q2 GDP Rebound Expected as Economy Reopens but Uncertainty Lingers –Japan GDP Report at 19:50 ET Tuesday By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s gross domestic product for the January-March quarter is forecast by economists […]
UPDATE: Bank of Canada Hikes Policy Rate by 50 Bps To 1% as Ukraine War Adds Fuel to Inflation, Supply Delays
–BOC Also Decides To Begin Quantitative Tightening, Gradually Trim BalanceSheet–BOC: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine ‘Causing New Economic Uncertainty’–BOC Repeats: Timing, Pace of Further Rate Hikes Set by Economic Assessment–BOC Governor Macklem: Prepared To Be ‘Forceful’ in Rate Hikes If Needed By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Canada on Wednesday jacked up its policy […]