Japanese GDP
Pandemonium on Many Fronts
March 9, 2020
The Covid-19 coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, with cases of about 111,500 so far, deaths of 3,833, and 13% of currently infected patients in serious or critical condition. Restrictions on movement have been tightened, many schools are shut, and riots have broken out in some prisons. The price of oil has plummeted. Brent dropped over […] More
Japanese Sales Tax Hike Hammered Economic Growth Last Quarter
February 17, 2020
The Japanese economy again contracted sharply after a hike in the national sales tax. This is a phenomenon with lots of history. A 3% sales tax was introduced initially in April 1989. Back then, Japan was viewed like China is currently — an up-and-coming economic rival that could soon overtake the United States. The sales […] More
A Dismal Japanese GDP Report, Coronavirus Concerns, and Holidays in the U.S. and Canada
February 17, 2020
The Japanese economy again contracted sharply after a hike in the national sales tax. This is a phenomenon with lots of history. A 3% sales tax was introduced initially in April 1989. Back then, Japan was viewed like China is currently — an up-and-coming economic rival that could soon overtake the United States. The sales […] More
Important Japanese, Euro Area, and Chinese Data Released
November 14, 2019
Japanese real GDP expanded at a lower-than-forecast 0.2% last quarter at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate. It was the weakest quarterly growth rate in a year. Net exports and inventories combined to exert a 1.8 percentage point drag on GDP growth. The GDP price deflator rose 0.6% between the third quarters of 2018 and 2019. […] More
Atypically High Amount of Data Reported This Monday
September 9, 2019
Data releases rather than market action were in today’s spotlight. Japanese real GDP growth last quarter was revised downward by a half percentage point to an annualized 1.3% from the first quarter. Business investment and exports were weaker than estimated initially. Real GDP was 1.0% greater than in the second quarter of 2018, and the […] More
Sterling Weakens on Data
August 9, 2019
The dollar edged down 0.2% against the yen and kiwi, 0.3% versus the peso, and 0.1% relative to the euro, Swiss franc and Canadian dollar on this 45th anniversary of the resignation of former President Nixon. But today’s weakest major currency has been sterling, down 0.6% against the dollar in response to news that British […] More
Two Surprises
May 20, 2019
The new week is greeting investors with two unexpected developments, one political and the other economic. The right-of-center Liberal-National coalition government of Australia was headed for defeat in parliamentary elections according to previous opinion polls but instead defeated its Labour Party opponent. Scott Morrison will remain prime minister, and he campaigned on a promise of […] More
China Leads Overnight Selloff in Stocks
March 8, 2019
Downward pressure on global equities caused by evidence of a slowdown had been building this week but intensified overnight. Share prices in the Pacific Rim plunged 4.4% in China, 2.8% in Hong Kong, 2.0% in Japan, 1.3% in South Korea, 1.2% in Indonesia and Australia, and 1.0% in Singapore. In Europe so far, stocks are […] More
Released Data in the Spotlight
February 14, 2019
Thursday figured to be a day of data watching with the scheduled release of both Euroland and Japanese GDP figures, plus China’s trade balance. But it was much weaker-than-anticipated U.S. retail sales in December that caught the market’s attention, giving greater credence to recent warnings from several economists that U.S. recessionary risks seem to be […] More
Week Opens with A Focus on U.K. and Global Equity Selloff
December 10, 2018
After the European Court of Justice ruled that Britain has the right to unilaterally revoke plans to leave the EU without the permission of other members, British Prime Minister cancelled tomorrow’s scheduled vote on her Brexit plan. She lacks the votes. Several released British data today underscore the huge toll that Brexit and domestic political […] More
