author

 
 

Meta

Craig Torres
For Craig Torres's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A worker in the factory of Optimax Systems, in Ontario, New York on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2024
Markets frustrated as Fed drops no hints on post-pandemic economy
With investors having to guess how they will respond, households and businesses are finding it harder to plan.
Jerome Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks during a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington on Wednesday. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady for a third meeting and gave its clearest signal yet that its aggressive hiking campaign is finished, forecasting a series of cuts next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 14, 2023
Fed prepares to shift to rate cuts in 2024 as inflation eases
Updated quarterly forecasts showed Fed officials expect to lower rates by 75 basis points next year, a sharper pace of cuts than indicated in September.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 13, 2023
Fed looks set to hike rates again, despite advisers' recession warnings
Officials have been aiming to balance the risk of a credit crunch with high price pressures, raising rates last month even amid forecasts for a 'mild recession” later this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 23, 2023
Fed opts for hike-and-see in gamble that crisis will stay contained
Officials at the U.S. Federal Reserve are making a calculated risk that, while the recent banking turmoil will likely slow the economy, it won’t mushroom into a broader financial meltdown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2022
Fed’s message that rates will stay on hold for ‘some time’ clashes with 2023 rate-cut bets
The central bank looks set to increase its benchmark rate by 50 basis points in a downshift after four straight 75 basis-point moves to curb inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 1, 2022
U.S. Fed chair signals rate hikes will slow, likely next month, but continue
Policy-sensitive two-year Treasury yields fell on Powell's remarks, erasing increases on the day, and the dollar slipped in value against major rivals on foreign-exchange markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2022
Jumbo Fed rate hike is in play as Jerome Powell sticks to hawkish view
Fed officials hope to engineer a rare soft landing where growth moderates and inflation falls with a low cost to employment.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2022
Fed hikes rates while signaling more tightening to come
Policymakers have raised the benchmark lending rate another 75 basis points to a range of 2.25% to 2.5% and said they anticipate 'ongoing increases” will be appropriate.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2022
Jerome Powell says soft landing ‘very challenging’ and recession possible
Powell said officials 'anticipate that ongoing rate increases will be appropriate,” to cool the hottest price pressures in 40 years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 5, 2022
Federal Reserve chair vows to curb inflation with hikes that risk economic pain
On Wednesday, the Fed raised interest rates by 50 basis points for the first time since 2000, and Chair Jerome Powell says similar moves are on the table for June and July.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2017
Cryptocurrencies threaten central banks' control over money supply — and officials study using their technology
The boom in cryptocurrencies and their underlying technology is becoming too big for central banks, long the guardian of official money, to ignore.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores