Tag - economy

 
 

ECONOMY

An electronic board in Tokyo showing the yen-dollar rate on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 24, 2024
Japan ‘very close’ to yen intervention, former top currency official says
Market reaction to U.S. data could encourage Japanese authorities to act about the yen, according to Mitsuhiro Furusawa.
Buyers inside an exhibition hall at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou on April 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2024
China’s prices are just too low for buyers to sweat about tariffs
Many buyers at China’s biggest trade event in the southern city of Guangzhou shrugged off the risk of an escalating trade war with the U.S.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2024
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Comments by Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki came after the dollar rose to ¥154.85, its strongest levels against the Japanese currency since 1990.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda hasn’t ruled out responding to exchange rates with a policy move if the impact on prices is seen to be "non-negligible.”
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2024
BOJ to hold rates with focus on hawkish signals to buoy yen
Gov. Kazuo Ueda and his fellow board members are set to keep the short-term rate around 0% to 0.1% at the end of their two-day policy meeting.
About 60% of small and mid-sized companies plan to raise wages in fiscal 2024, a government survey shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2024
70% of Japan companies to raise pay-scales in FY 2024
Survey results showed that about 40% of firms were struggling with labor shortages even after raising wages.
The dollar's resurgence has come on the back of a slew of signs that the U.S. economy avoided the slowdown many anticipated.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. dollar’s extended reign delivers stark wake-up call to markets
Global investors are talking about "U.S. exceptionalism” after a predicted slowdown to the nation's economy didn't transpire.
The Nikkei stock market rally has paused, but the market has an upside potential toward the end of the year, according to Allianz Global Investors.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 22, 2024
Allianz says Japanese stocks will defy geopolitics and yen volatility
The asset manager expects support from solid corporate fundamentals and the long-term outlook for artificial intelligence.
More than half of respondents in a recent survey say they would continue to buy a product at the same supermarket even if prices rose by 10%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 22, 2024
Higher price tolerance among Japan's shoppers supports further BOJ rate hikes
A recent survey by an inflation expert showed that more than half of respondents would keep buying a supermarket product even if prices rose by 10%.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after a policy meeting at BOJ headquarters in Tokyo on March 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 20, 2024
BOJ's Ueda says 'very likely' to hike rates if inflation keeps rising
The BOJ must maintain loose monetary policy for the time being as underlying inflation remains "somewhat below" its 2% target, Gov. Kazuo Ueda said.
The average daily room rate of hotels in Japan for March marked the highest level since August 1997, as the country saw a record number of foreign visitors in March.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 19, 2024
Japan hotel prices near 30-year high as weak yen lures record tourists
The average daily room rate for March was about ¥20,986 ($136), the highest level since August 1997 and a nearly 20% increase from the same period in 2023.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks at a news conference in Washington on Thursday alongside Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 19, 2024
BOJ's Ueda signals possible rate hike if weak yen boosts inflation
The BOJ will scrutinize how the yen's declines so far this year could affect the economy and prices, Ueda said.
Japan's core inflation slowed in March and an index gauging broader price trends fell below 3% for the first time in over a year, as analysts try to gauge when the Bank of Japan will move again.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 19, 2024
Japan’s inflation cools ahead of BOJ policy board meeting
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.6% in March from a year ago, cooling from February’s 2.8% gain.
Vitor Gaspar, director of fiscal affairs at the International Monetary Fund, speaks at a news conference during the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 19, 2024
Japan should pursue fiscal consolidation, IMF economist says
With Japan's inflation mostly in line with the Bank of Japan's 2% target, an IMF economist is encouraging fiscal consolidation.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda hinted at a chance of a rate hike in the second half of this year by highlighting the likelihood of improvement in the price trend.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2024
More economists see BOJ rate hike in October, flag July risk
All 54 economists except for one predict no policy change at the central bank’s two-day meeting ending on April 26.
Bank of Japan board member Asahi Noguchi says the pace of future rate hikes will likely be much slower that of the central bank's global peers.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2024
BOJ rate hikes likely to be slower than those of peers, says board member
Asahi Noguchi, known for his dovish policy views, said the impact of rising domestic wages had yet be fully passed on into prices.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during the signing of the Rasht-Astara railway agreement in May 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
New 'sanctions-proof' transport routes put Russia at heart of global trade
Shipping and rail networks via Iran and an Arctic sea passage could strengthen Moscow’s pivot toward China and India and away from Europe.
The IMF has singled out the U.K. and Italy alongside the U.S. and China as nations that face serious fiscal risks as debt continues to creep upward.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2024
U.S. and China debts pose risks for global public finances, IMF says
Public debt in China and the U.S. is projected to almost double by 2053, which could "have profound effects on the global economy," the IMF reports.
Pressure from the Tokyo Stock Exchange has amplified the voices of fund managers calling for listed companies to increase their valuations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 18, 2024
Improved corporate governance in Japan is paying off, Amundi says
Some of the top holdings of Amundi’s Japan target strategy include Toppan Holdings, Ricoh, Shizuoka Financial Group, Kyoto Financial Group and TS Tech.
Tourists in Kyoto on Saturday. Japan saw a record 3.08 million foreign visitors in March.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 17, 2024
Inbound tourism numbers hit record high, with Japan set to achieve 2025 goal
The nation welcomed a record 3.08 million foreign visitors in March, surpassing the previous high of 2.99 million from July 2019.
Resistance to adopting digital technologies, restrictive EU regulations, and energy-price shocks are potential explanations for Europe's lagging productivity.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2024
Why is Europe losing the productivity race?
A forthcoming report from Mario Draghi will recommend removing barriers to competition, which would intensify the pressure on firms to innovate.

Longform

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