Tag - economic-indicators

 
 

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

A Bank of Japan report said input prices for firms gained 3.0% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 13, 2024
Japan’s producer inflation quickens for sixth straight month
The increase reflected rising prices of materials due to a weaker yen and the suspension of subsidies to ease the impact of higher electricity and gas prices.
Japan's industrial production in June fell 3.6% from the previous month, reflecting plant suspensions at vehicle-makers including Toyota due to faulty vehicle certifications.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2024
Japan’s industrial output falls, clouding recovery outlook
The production of cars and auto parts drove the reading lower as an ongoing probe involving carmakers such as Toyota continues to disrupt output.
Japan's unemployment rate edged lower to 2.5% in June from 2.6% a month earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 30, 2024
Japan’s labor market stays tight, supporting wage growth
Japan's unemployment rate edged lower to 2.5% in June from 2.6% a month earlier, the Internal Affairs Ministry reported.
Core inflation in Japan's capital accelerated for a third straight month in July, keeping alive market expectations of a near-term interest rate hike by the central bank.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 26, 2024
Tokyo inflation quickens, keeping BOJ hike option in play
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.2% in the capital, versus 2.1% in June, the internal affairs ministry reported.
The Porsche booth at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing on April 25
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 24, 2024
China’s slowdown is taking a rising toll on European profits
From luxury brands to carmakers, more trouble is coming for European businesses heavily reliant on demand in the Asian economic giant.
The People's Bank of China building in Beijing on May 29
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024
China cuts key rate after Xi’s big meeting disappoints investors
The People’s Bank of China cut the seven-day reverse repo rate, a key short-term policy rate, in the first reduction in almost a year.
The Nishiki market in Kyoto. June’s inflation report shows extraordinary jumps in the prices of some items favored by households, including cabbage (27.6%), potatoes (28.5%) and tomatoes (15.6%).
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024
Households struggle as Japan’s inflation rises near U.S. levels
Consumer prices in Japan rose 2.8% on the year in June, close to the 3.0% in the United States.
Japan cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, reflecting weaker-than-expected private consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024
Japan cuts growth forecast as prime minister warns of weak-yen pain
The government cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March 2025 to 0.9% from 1.3% projected in January.
Japan’s exports grew for a seventh consecutive month in June, government data has shown.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2024
Japan’s exports rise for seventh month, supporting growth
Exports gained 5.4% in June from a year ago, led by chip-making gear and nonferrous metals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech in Pretoria, South Africa, Aug. 22, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 18, 2024
Xi to map out vision for China’s economy as key meeting wraps up
The summit comes as China battles a years-long real estate crisis, which has prompted the longest deflationary streak since 1999.
The International Monetary Fund lowered its 2024 growth estimate for Japan by 0.2 point to 0.7%, citing temporary production suspensions at some automakers over their vehicle test cheating, as well as weak private investment.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2024
IMF cuts Japan's growth forecast, upbeat on consumption prospects
The IMF says it expects Japan's economy to expand 0.7% this year, down 0.2 percentage point from its forecast in April, after an 1.9% increase in 2023.
A man walks past a store of luxury brand Burberry at a shopping mall in Beijing in 2021.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 17, 2024
Luxury brands feel the sting as Chinese growth slows
China accounted for 16% of $393.8 billion of global luxury spending last year, but the economy grew slower than expected in the last quarter.
The production plant of GCL Technology in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China, on July 2
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2024
Xi Jinping’s great economic rewiring is cushioning China’s slowdown
Tech advances and a resulting export boom have helped to keep economic growth within reach of its targeted pace of around 5%.
A Bank of Japan survey on households showed that 87.5% expect prices to rise a year from now, up from 83.3% in a previous survey in March.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 12, 2024
Japan households' inflation expectations heighten, quarterly survey shows
Of the total households surveyed by the Bank of Japan, 87.5% said they expect prices to rise a year from now.
Japan's core machinery orders unexpectedly fell for a second straight month in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 11, 2024
Japan's key capex gauge falls again, clouds outlook for durable growth
The volatile leading indicator of capital spending fell 3.2% month-on-month in May, following a 2.9% drop in April.
Some regional smaller firms have decided to prioritize raising pay to retain or hire workers, even if they have not been earning sufficient profits, the Bank of Japan has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Bank of Japan sees wage hikes spreading across economy
The optimistic assessment may heighten the case for the central bank to raise interest rates as soon as its next meeting on July 30 and 31.
Japan logged a current account surplus for the 16th straight month in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Japan logs largest May current account surplus
The country logged a current account surplus for the 16th straight month.
Japanese workers' base pay increased 2.5% in May from a year ago, the fastest growth since 1993.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Japan base pay jumps most since 1993 in positive signal for BOJ
Base pay increased 2.5% in May from a year ago, the fastest growth since 1993.
Japanese household spending unexpectedly fell in May as higher prices continued to squeeze consumers' purchasing power.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 5, 2024
Japan’s household spending falls, clouding growth outlook
The yen's slide is expected to further raise prices for imported raw materials, energy, and food.
Business sentiment among large manufacturers in Japan in the April-June quarter improved for the first time in two quarters, but the mood among big service-sector firms worsened for the first time in four years, according to a Bank of Japan survey.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2024
Japan's shaky business mood and GDP downgrade cloud BOJ hike timing
A mixed economic outlook complicates the BOJ's decision on how soon to raise interest rates, analysts say.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’