FOMC Minutes: No Wage-Price Spiral But Ready to Accelerate Taper if Inflation More Persistent, Aggressive

WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The minutes of the Nov 2-3 Federal Open Market Committee meeting released Wednesday repeated familiar themes about pandemic-caused inflation factors, labor supply issues and so far, the absence of a wage-price spiral. Members advocated contninued vigilance about the intensity of price pressures. Fears that inflation expectations were being elevated beyond previous ranges […]

Covid and Supply Bottlenecks Dampen German Business Sentiment in November

ZURICH (MaceNews) – Business sentiment in Germany fell in November as concerns over a fourth Covid wave and continued supply chain bottlenecks dampened both current conditions and expectations according to the latest report from the Munich-based Ifo Institute. The Business Climate Index median fell to 96.5 in November, slightly below the median of 96.7 in […]

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 […]

Japan September Machine Orders Flat, Posting Only Small Q3 Gain

–Japan Govt Keeps View: Pickup in Machine Orders Pausing –Q3 Core Orders Far Below Official Forecast; Q4 Seen Up Moderately By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese machinery orders, the key leading indicator of business investment in equipment, were unchanged in September, coming in weaker than a rebound forecast by many and following a surprise slip […]

Japan Oct Exports Slow on Parts Supply Delays; Steel, Machine Demand Solid

— Imports Up on Rising Energy Costs, Leading to 3rd Straight Trade Deficit By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Year-on-year growth in Japanese exports continued to lose momentum in October as Covid-triggered delays in parts supply from Southeast Asia, microchip shortages and congestion at international ports have forced carmakers and others to trim output and shipments, […]

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 […]

PREVIEW: Japan Q3 GDP Seen Down as Covid Spreads, Supply Squeeze Lingers

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s gross domestic product for the July-September quarter is forecast by economists to show a 0.2% slump on quarter, or an annualized 0.8% drop, as consumers were cautious amid a resurgence in coronavirus infections and global supply chain disruptions slowed business investment and exports.   The median forecast for Q3 […]