JAPAN GOVT SEES PANDEMIC-CAUSED SOFT SPOTS IN SPENDING, DOWNGRADES VIEW ON EUROPE
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Tuesday warned that consumer spending, which accounts for over half of domestic output, is showing soft spots despite its overall improvement from the pandemic-caused slump, according to its monthly report released by the Cabinet Office. While noting increasing export volumes, particularly of automobiles and semiconductor-producing equipment, the government […]
JAPAN NOV CPI DROP DEEPER ON WEAKER ENERGY, GOVT-FINANCED HOTEL DISCOUNTS EASE AMID COVID SPIKE
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese consumer prices posted a sharper drop in November as energy costs continued falling but a spike in coronavirus cases later in the month appeared to have slowed the use of hefty government-financed discounts on hotel and transport charges, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication released Friday […]
JAPAN NOV EXPORTS UNEXPECTEDLY SLUMP, WEAK ENERGY PRICES KEEP TRADE IN SURPLUS
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports took one step back from the recent pickup trend and posted an unexpected fall in November, remaining below year-earlier levels for two years as the global economy faces pandemic-caused uncertainty, data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance showed. The outlook for domestic growth and a return to […]
PREVIEW: FOMC TO REAFFIRM EASY MONEY POLICY; EXTEND FORWARD GUIDANCE TO BOND BUYING
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – For the Federal Reserve these days, it’s all about shaping and managing expectations – expectations for indefinite continuation of ultra-accommodative monetary policy. That effort will continue at the Fed’s Dec. 15-16 Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The FOMC heads toward its final meeting of 2020 amid very unusual circumstances […]
JAPAN OCT HOUSEHOLD SPENDING POSTS 1ST Y/Y RISE IN 13 MONTHS IN REACTION TO TAX HIKE SLUMP
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s household spending in October marked the first year-on-year increase in 13 months as the base-year effects of the October 2019 sales tax hike faded, while a third wave of coronavirus infections around the world is likely to continue restricting some expenditures, data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Internal […]
JAPAN MOF SURVEY: Q3 CAPEX REMAINS WEAK; REVISION TO GDP CAPEX DATA SEEN LIMITED
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Business investment in equipment by many Japanese companies remained depressed in the July-September quarter, compared to year-earlier levels, but the pace of decline decelerated from the previous three-month period, a quarterly survey by the Ministry of Finance released Tuesday showed. This may prompt the Cabinet Office to make only a […]
ITALY WORKING ON PLAN TO START ISSUING GREEN BONDS – SOURCES
By Silvia Marchetti ROME (MaceNews) – Italy’s government is honing its first-ever green bonds issuance plan to be launched soon to fund environmental projects, according to ruling coalition sources. Key investment areas have been identified but the framework, containing the standards and list of specific projects, is still to be defined, though sources say it will […]
JAPAN OCT FACTORY OUTPUT POSTS 5TH STRAIGHT M/M RISE, REMAINS ON PICKUP TREND
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production continued chugging along in October for the fifth consecutive monthly rise, recovering much of the pandemic-triggered slump as solid demand for general machinery and automobiles more than offset lower output of electronic parts and devices, preliminary data released Monday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry […]
UK DOWNGRADES ECONOMIC FORECASTS; RETURN TO POST-PANDEMIC LEVEL DELAYED TO END 2022
By Laurie Laird LONDON (MaceNews) – The UK economy – already lagging its developed-world peers – will recover more slowly than expected, according to updated forecasts released on Wednesday. Output will not regain its pre-pandemic level until the final quarter of 2022, according to UK’s top finance official, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, delivering his spending statement […]
STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY- WHAT’S WORTH $18,818.10?
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Friday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. Friday night and such shrill warnings from every side. Donald Trump is trashing democracy, says CNN. Governors imposing lockdowns and school closings are trashing democracy, says Fox News. Why doesn’t everyone acknowledge the […]