Japanese GDP
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
Japanese GDP Contracted in 3Q, while Eurozone Growth Slowed in Half
November 14, 2018
Data released this Wednesday confirmed a widening gap between economic growth in the United States on the one hand (3.5% at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate SAAR last quarter) and Japan and Euroland on the other. Japanese real GDP contracted 0.3%, or 1.2% SAAR in 3Q. Personal consumption (-0.5% SAAR), public sector expenditures (-0.9%), and […] More
Difficult Session in Asia but European Markets Are Higher
September 10, 2018
Share prices fell 1.4% in Hong Kong, 1.2% in China and India, 1.1% in Taiwan, 0.7% in New Zealand, and 0.4% in Indonesia and Singapore. The Japanese Nikkei rose only 0.3% despite a significant upward revision of second-quarter GDP growth in that economy. Equities in Europe, by contrast, have advanced in today’s session so far […] More
More Volatile Global Markets as Concern Mounts about Turkey
August 10, 2018
Turkey commands the spotlight of global financial markets this Friday. Talks broke down between the U.S. and Turkey over the latter’s continuing detention of an American evangelical pastor, which has prompted economic sanctions by the United States on an economy already gripped with upward spiraling inflation and a central bank interest rate near 18%. The […] More
Watching Several Situations
May 16, 2018
A weaker-than-expected Japanese GDP report saw negative growth on both a nominal and real basis last quarter. There was additional evidence of less inflation than assumed in Europe, and Australian wage costs data show benign containment. Treasury-compiled capital movements revealed another big U.S. inflow in March. It’s been a busy day for central bank news, […] More
