Tag - economy

 
 

ECONOMY

Elliott Investment Management's sizable stake in Sumitomo reflects a growing shareholder activism in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2024
Activist investor campaigns hit record high, driven by Japan
The number of new activists campaigns totaled 147, up 7% from 138 in the same period in 2023 and 29% above the five-year average.
As interest rates rise, the Bank of Japan will have to pay more on deposits, resulting in a mismatch between what it pays out and how much it receives on bonds it holds.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2024
The Bank of Japan’s $3 trillion problem
As interest rates rise and the deposits it holds become far more expensive, the central bank could end up becoming unprofitable.
The yen’s depreciation is largely down to the gap in interest rates between the U.S. and Japan. Therefore, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is, to all intents and purposes, “Mr. Yen.”
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2024
There’s a new 'Mr. Yen' in town
No matter what the Bank of Japan or the Finance Ministry do, ultimate control over the yen's value lies in the hands of U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Japan's most expensive plot of land lies in front of Kyukyodo stationery store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district, according to National Tax Agency statistics.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2024
Japan's land prices rise at fastest pace since 2010, tax agency says
Average land prices climbed 2.3% last year, rising for the third straight year.
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.
Market participants project the pace of Japan’s stock market rally to slow in the second half of this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2024
Japan’s stock rally is forecast to slow in second half of 2024
The benchmark Topix index will climb about 2.9% by the end of the year, while the 225-issue Nikkei average will rise about 4.8%, according to projections.
A monitor at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo shows the yen falling below ¥161 against the dollar on Friday morning.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 28, 2024
Japan names new forex diplomat as yen hits 38-year low
Atsushi Mimura, a financial regulation veteran, replaces Masato Kanda, who launched the biggest yen-buying intervention on record this year.
Core inflation in Tokyo accelerated in June on rising fuel bills and the boost to import costs from a weak yen, keeping alive expectations for a near-term interest rate hike by the central bank.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2024
Tokyo inflation quickens, keeping BOJ on track for rate hike
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.1% in the capital, accelerating from 1.9% in May.
The rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar is displayed in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2024
Foreign funds sell Japan’s stocks, longest run in 15 months
Foreign investors sold net ¥21.4 billion ($133 million) of cash equities in the week that ended June 21.
The rate of the yen against the dollar displayed in the trading room at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.com in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 27, 2024
Yen taken back to the '80s by messaging missteps and loss of confidence
Some analysts see the speculative fever as unsustainable, and that any signs of U.S. inflation falling faster than expected could allow a dramatic comeback.
The share of stocks and investment trusts in Japanese household assets rose to a record high of 19.7% at the end of March.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2024
Japan inflation spurs record shift to household assets in stocks
Households have been coping with a surge in inflation over the past two years.
The yen fell as much as 0.4% to ¥160.39 per dollar on Wednesday, extending losses this year to around 12%.
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2024
Yen’s tumble to weakest since 1986 boosts risk of intervention
The Japanese currency fell as much as 0.4% to ¥160.39 per dollar on Wednesday, extending losses this year to around 12%.
Container ships are berthed at PSA's Pasir Panjang Terminal in Singapore in July 2019.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jun 26, 2024
Singapore port congestion shows global impact of Red Sea attacks
Global port congestion has reached an 18-month high, with 60% of ships waiting at anchor located in Asia.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2024
A third of Bank of Japan watchers expect July interest rate hike
Whatever the outcome in July, the survey results show there will be intense interest with possible market volatility ahead of the policy board meeting.
Shareholders queue to enter a venue for SoftBank Group's annual general meeting in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2024
Activist investing booms in Japan amid corporate governance reforms
International hedge funds and home-grown investors have turned the country into the world’s second-largest market for activists.
Traders say a slump of the yen as far as ¥170 per dollar is possible despite looming intervention risks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2024
Forget ¥160 — traders see currency falling as far as ¥170 against dollar
The yen is at risk of sliding to levels last seen in 1986, with traders unfazed by the specter of government intervention.
The Japanese national flag waves at the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo on March 18.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2024
Moody's Japan analyst urges reform while BOJ takes time to raise rates
Christian de Guzman said he did not expect the budget-balancing target for fiscal 2025 to be met, but failure would not trigger a negative rating action.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on June 12
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 24, 2024
Yen nears lows as Bank of Japan leans dovish
The BOJ has suggested in recent weeks that it might not hurry in tightening monetary policy, unsettling the market.
Sakana AI, prospected to become the fastest-ever Japanese company to achieve unicorn status, aims to create energy-efficient AI models that tackle long-term national-level issues.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2024
What a Japanese AI unicorn can teach Silicon Valley
Sakana AI, prospected to become the fastest-ever Japanese company to achieve unicorn status, is taking a long-term approach to the development of AI for good.
Monitors show the rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on Monday. Traders are falling out of step with the Bank of Japan, expecting hawkish steps that are instead met with a cautious approach.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2024
Traders are out of step with the BOJ’s Ueda
Time and time again, traders predict that the Bank of Japan will take bold next steps, but these rarely come. That's because Gov. Ueda is, most of all, cautious.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?