Economy
Fed to start tapering bond purchases this year: Bernanke
The Federal Reserve maintains its $85 billion-a-month asset purchase program, but says it could begin scaling back later this year.
Business Topics
Economy May 29, 2013
BOJ has room for more stimulus, top Abe adviser says
Koichi Hamada, a retired Yale University professor advising Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, says the Bank of Japan can add to already unprecedented stimulus if necessary to drive an economic revival. BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda “should continue to trust in his judgment and ease further” ...
Economy May 28, 2013
Senator advises FCC be wary of Son's Sprint bid
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is urging federal regulators to “take a very careful look” at Softbank Corp.’s proposed acquisition of Sprint Nextel Corp., citing cybersecurity concerns. Softbank is “a Japanese company with alleged ties to China, the country that is currently the leading source ...
Economy May 28, 2013
Scientific food rules would help Japan: lobbyist
The new sanitary and phytosanitary standards being proposed by the United States are a stumbling block in the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks but will be positive for Japan, a U.S. meat lobby says. Asked whether U.S. agricultural groups want stronger sanitary rules than those set ...
Economy May 27, 2013
No one's being overly bullish yet, Kuroda says
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said Sunday he saw no signs of “excessively bullish expectations” in asset markets and the nation can cope with rising interest rates, provided the economy improves. The comments by the 68-year-old central banker came after stocks slumped on ...
Economy May 26, 2013
Japan to join TPP talks at next round in July
The 11 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed to hold the next round of free-trade talks in Kuala Lumpur from July 15 to 25, extending the meeting to include Japan as the 12th member. The United States and the 10 other member ...
Economy May 25, 2013
'Abenomics' still has long way to go
by Jun Hongo
The recent volatility of the Nikkei 225 stock average should not be a cause for alarm, government officials assured Friday, but pundits pointed out that “Abenomics” seems to have a long way to go until the economy begins to show a robust and steady ...
Economy May 25, 2013
Kuroda vows to avoid rate volatility, confident deflation can be beaten
The Bank of Japan’s aggressive monetary easing steps are working to achieve an exit from more than a decade of deflation, BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said Friday, while vowing to avoid volatility in long-term interest rates. “What is most important is to influence the ...
Economy | Focus May 24, 2013
Fed bankers grapple with timing of exit strategy
The Federal Reserve is torn over when to slow its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy. Its uncertainty burst into view Wednesday, when Chairman Ben Bernanke testified to the U.S. Congress in the morning and the Fed released the minutes of its last policy ...
Economy | Focus May 23, 2013
Does France have right revival plan?
by Sarah Dilorenzo
The man charged with reviving France’s shrinking economy and attracting businesses to invest there is gaining a reputation for doing the opposite. As the country’s first-ever minister for industrial renewal, Arnaud Montebourg has told the world’s largest steelmaker it is not welcome in France; ...
Economy May 23, 2013
Trade deficit extends to 10th straight month
Japan on Wednesday posted its worst April trade deficit as a weak yen ramped up import costs and helped extend the run of monthly shortfalls to the longest in over three decades. Data from the Finance Ministry showed the nation incurred a trade deficit ...
Economy May 21, 2013
Economic assessment raised as weak yen fuels exports
The government on Monday upgraded the economy for the first time in two months by deleting the word “weak” from its description to reflect the effect the “Abenomics”-weakened yen is having on exports and production. The economy “is picking up slowly,” the Cabinet Office ...
Economy May 21, 2013
Yen climbs after Amari warning
The yen climbed versus a majority of its 16 major peers after economy minister Akira Amari said further losses in the currency would negatively affect the people, and the government’s job is to minimize that. The yen retreated from near its weakest point in ...