Tag - economic-indicators

 
 

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, leaves after holding a news conference in Tokyo on Saturday after her win.
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2025
Takaichi's LDP leadership win makes BOJ rate hike uncertain
Takaichi that the Japanese economy is "on a tightrope," suggesting that it is appropriate to maintain accommodative monetary conditions.
August’s unemployment figures showed a slight tempering of Japan's job market, but the data still points to overall firmness amid an ongoing labor shortage.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 3, 2025
Japan’s jobless rate edges up to highest in over a year
August’s figures showed a slight tempering of the job market, but the data still points to overall firmness amid an ongoing labor shortage.
People work at an automotive parts factory in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, on April 11. Export powerhouse Japan saw manufacturing activity shrink in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 1, 2025
Asian factories struggle as soft China and U.S. demand takes toll
Export powerhouse Japan and global tech hub Taiwan saw manufacturing activity shrink in September, leaving businesses in Asia on fragile footing.
The Bank of Japan is likely to raise rates by the end of this year or early next year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 1, 2025
Japan's tankan survey suggests rate increase sooner rather than later
Corporate sentiment improved as tariff uncertainty lessened following an agreement with the U.S.
Signs of recovery in consumer spending have some analysts looking for a rate increase as soon as October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2025
Bank of Japan rate increase looking more likely
The Cabinet Office is becoming more positive on consumer spending.
Industrial production in Japan dropped 1.2% from the previous month, following the same pace of decline from July, according to the economy ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2025
Japan’s output falls as U.S. tariffs drag on global outlook
The data reflect ongoing caution among manufacturers as the U.S. continues to threaten additional tariffs to narrow its trade deficit.
The average salary for men was ¥5.87 million, up 3.2%, and that of women was ¥3.33 million, up 5.5%, both marking record highs.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2025
Japan private-sector pay hits record in 2024
The average grew for the fourth consecutive year. The pace of increase exceeded 3% for the first time in 33 years.
Concern about prices in Japan is at or near record highs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 26, 2025
Inflation and ‘food situation’ concerns top key Japan survey
Rising prices have not been this much of a worry since just after the 1973 oil shock.
Tokyo inflation is holding steady in September as subsidies offset price pressures, supporting Bank of Japan's cautious policy path.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 26, 2025
Tokyo consumer inflation unexpectedly holds steady, backing BOJ’s caution
The sudden steadying of the main gauge shows anew the volatility of data as government measures meant to help consumers cope with soaring costs of living swing the results.
A bipartisan group of economic experts urged the Supreme Court not to let U.S. President Donald Trump fire Fed Gov. Lisa Cook.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 26, 2025
Economic luminaries enter legal battle over Fed independence
The Supreme Court this year has largely sided with Trump in his firing decisions, but the justices have previously said the Fed is a "uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.”
The U.S. dollar has weakened 9.75% since the start of the year against a basket of major trading partners.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 26, 2025
Global debt hits record of nearly $338 trillion, report shows
Total debt in emerging markets rose by $3.4 trillion in the second quarter to a record high of more than $109 trillion.
A logistics center near Tianjin Port, in northern China. The country's economy is expected to grow 4.9% this year before slowing to 4.4% in 2026.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 23, 2025
Full impact of U.S. tariff shock yet to come as growth holds up, OECD says
In its latest Economic Outlook Interim Report, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said the full impact of U.S. tariff hikes was still unfolding.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. The <i>tankan</i> survey is one of key economic indicators the central bank assesses when determining monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 23, 2025
BOJ tankan expected to show slight rise in manufacturers' sentiment
The lowering of United States' tariffs on Japanese cars and auto parts earlier this month is likely to have eased makers' perception of current business conditions.
Women in the U.K. still tend to handle the weekly shop, meaning they’re the first to feel the pinch from higher grocery, water and transport bills — the main drivers pushing inflation to its highest since early 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2025
Women turn away from Labour as they lose faith in economy
Already, Britain's government has lost nearly half of the female voters who helped it win power just a year ago, according a political strategy and communications consultancy.
A view of the city skyline in Shanghai. Threats to the global economic order have come at a furious pace during U.S. President Donald Trump's first eight months in office, but the global economy has kept growing.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 19, 2025
Global economy takes Trump shocks in stride, for now
While many players worry that things could still unravel given the right spark, it is a far cry from the most dour predictions early in Trump's term.
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 18, 2025
Powell rallies Fed colleagues as economic and political risks grow
The decision to cut rates was nearly unanimous, with the lone dissent coming from Fed Gov. Stephen Miran, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan's exports slipped 0.1% in August from a year earlier, led by a 13.8% drop in the value of shipments to the U.S., with cars the main drag.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2025
Japan’s exports fall for fourth month as U.S. shipments tumble
Exports slipped 0.1% in August from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported Wednesday.
The average summer bonus for employees of major companies in Japan has now increased for the fourth year in a row.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2025
Summer bonuses at major Japan firms hit record
The shipbuilding, retail and finance sectors all posted significant jumps, while both the steel and service industries saw an overall decline.
Business sentiment among major Japanese companies turned positive for the first time in two quarters in July to September, according to a government survey released Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 11, 2025
Sentiment among big Japanese firms turns positive for first time in two quarters
The business sentiment index represents the proportion of firms seeing their business conditions improve from the previous quarter minus that of those feeling the opposite.
Gross domestic product grew at an annualized pace of 2.2% last quarter, the revised report said, indicating that consumer spending is gaining momentum.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 8, 2025
Japan confirms GDP growth as spending holds up amid U.S. tariffs
The Japanese economy grew at an annualized pace of 2.2% in April-June, exceeding an initial estimate of a 1.0% expansion, the Cabinet Office said.

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Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?