Tag - economy

 
 

ECONOMY

As their popularity grow, Shein and Temu together send almost 600,000 packages to the U.S. every day.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 22, 2024
Rise of fast-fashion Shein and Temu roils global air cargo industry
Their pursuit of limited air-cargo space to woo consumers with rapid transit times make off-peak seasons almost disappear and cause capacity shortages.
A Rapidus factory construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido, in December
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 21, 2024
Japan’s chip spree aims to kick economy into high gear
The government’s chip strategy aims to triple domestic chip sales to around ¥15 trillion by 2030.
Japan's exports rose to a record high in January, lifted by robust shipments of cars and chipmaking equipment, marking the second straight month of growth despite concerns about slowing global demand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 21, 2024
Export growth beats forecasts, adding to momentum for BOJ policy shift
Gains in exports are a positive sign after the economy unexpectedly fell into recession in the last quarter of 2023 due to stagnant domestic spending.
Japan's fall to No. 4 in the global economic rankings reflects an aging population and declining resources.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2024
Japan slips in the global economic rankings: So what’s next?
The IMF has forecast that India will overtake Japan economically in 2026 and Germany in 2027.
An advertisement for the Nippon Individual Savings Account (NISA) at a Mizuho Bank branch, a unit of Mizuho Financial Group, in Tokyo on Jan. 31.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Feb 19, 2024
Turning the tide? Japan warms up to becoming an asset management hub.
The beefing-up of the NISA program alongside a new policy plan by the government shows its commitment toward getting households to invest.
Japan's core machinery orders in December rose 2.7% from from the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 19, 2024
Japan's December core machinery orders rise, but recovery seen limited
Core orders went up 2.7% in December from the previous month, Cabinet Office data has shown.
The Japanese equity market is likely to benefit a lot from the Bank of Japan's exit from its ultraeasy monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 19, 2024
BlackRock sees Japan stocks as big winner from BOJ policy shift
Japan seems to be in its final stage of declaring victory over decades of deflation.
In the U.S., proof that inflation remains sticky and the labor market sound has convinced traders to embrace the Federal Reserve’s pushback against market bets on near-term easing.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 19, 2024
Cracks start to emerge in global central bank synchronicity
The synchronization among central banks might be about to weaken as domestic drivers take over from global trends in determining price outlooks.
In Hokkaido’s Niseko ski resort area, a bowl of ramen or soba from a food truck easily goes for more than three times what it costs at a sit-down joint in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Feb 18, 2024
¥3,800 ski-slope ramen is a glimpse of Japan’s future
Foreign tourist spending has potential to stimulate growth but needs careful management to ensure equitable distribution of benefits for locals.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (left) speaks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a plenary session of the Lower House in Tokyo on Jan. 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 17, 2024
Japan finance chief eyes future rise in interest rates, report says
"The Bank of Japan holds jurisdiction over monetary policy. But there will be a phase when interest rates go up," Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said.
An electronic board displays the value of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 16, 2024
Nikkei stock index nears all-time high
The index closed at 38,487.24, up by 329.30 points and near the all-time high of 38,915 recorded in December 1989.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Friday that the BOJ will examine the possibility of easing measures when price targets are met.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 16, 2024
BOJ's Ueda maintains pledge to review stimulus when inflation goal met
Data released on Thursday showed Japan's economy unexpectedly slipped into a recession in the final quarter of last year.
The U.K. economy has been hamstrung by the worst cost-of-living crisis in generations, as well as interest rate increases.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 16, 2024
U.K. recession deals fresh blow to Rishi Sunak’s economic promises
Statistics showing the GDP contraction emerged at a particularly bad time for the U.K. prime minister, with two by-elections taking place in England.
Gross domestic product contracted 0.4% on an annualized basis in the October-December 2023 quarter, following a 3.3% contraction in the previous quarter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 15, 2024
Japan loses spot as No. 3 economy after surprise GDP contraction
Analysts caution that the data is perhaps not as bad as it seems, given solid readings from other economic indicators.
No politicians, government officials, bankers or business leaders have voiced strong opposition to Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda's intention to put an end to the world’s last negative rate regime.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2024
Lack of political opposition opens way for BOJ rate hike
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is in a rare sweet spot for such a move, in sharp contrast to the experiences of his BOJ predecessors.
A monitor in Tokyo shows the yen weakening past ¥150 per dollar late Tuesday night.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 14, 2024
Yen's slide past ¥150 per dollar prompts stern warnings from Japan
The yen has tumbled more than 6% versus the dollar so far in 2024.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva (right) speaks during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2024
IMF and World Bank warn Gaza and Red Sea chaos imperils global economy
The Israel-Hamas war and its knock-on effects could impact the world the longer the fighting drags on, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said.
Japan’s latest growth figures are set to confirm it slipped to become the world's fourth-largest economy last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2024
Japan GDP set to confirm slip to world’s fourth-largest economy
Figures for the calendar year are almost certain to show the value of output falling behind Germany’s in dollar terms.
The market in 2023 and 2024 has been marked by breathless enthusiasm for the potential of artificial intelligence as well as wildly disparate guesses about how the technology will translate into future cash flows.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2024
Is the S&P 500's surge signaling a bubble or a bull market?
Are we reliving 1995 — when, coincidentally, a previous "soft landing” economy pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average above 5,000?
A new report by the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility estimates that it could take up to 320 years for Black Americans to catch up to their white counterparts in quality of life.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2024
Black Americans gain no ground on income and wealth
One study estimates that it could take up to 320 years for Black Americans to catch up to their white counterparts' in quality of life.

Longform

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