Business / Economy Apr 25, 2019
BOJ vows to keep rates super-low for at least a year, and trims Japan growth and inflation forecasts
In the quarterly outlook, the BOJ stuck to its view that the economy will continue to expand moderately as a trend.
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Business Apr 8, 2019
Sluggish, dysfunctional Europe isn't Japan in the 1990s, but there's still reason to worry
by Carolynn Look
Europe's sclerotic growth and political dysfunction inspire frequent comparisons with Japan's lost decade from the mid-1990s. The region's bout of misery this year — Germany's industrial slump and the struggle to fix its banks, Italy's inability to reform, the apparent defeat of central bankers seeking ...
Commentary / Japan Mar 27, 2019
Struggling to achieve 2% inflation? Then try for 3%
by Daniel Moss
There's been talk of weakening support for Japan's price-increase target. Far from abandoning it, the BOJ should double down to change psychology.
Business / Economy Mar 22, 2019
Underlying inflation slowed in February as gasoline prices fell for the first time in more than two years, government data showed Friday. The nationwide core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food items because of their volatility, rose 0.7 percent from a year earlier, slowing ...
Business / Economy Mar 19, 2019
Some at Bank of Japan reportedly see price goal out of reach through 2021
Amid intense debate over the Abe government's inflation target, some officials at the Bank of Japan think the 2 percent goal will probably remain out of reach for the next three years, according to sources familiar with the matter. The pessimistic view comes as the ...
Business / Economy Mar 19, 2019
Japan's regional land prices rise first time in 27 years on tourist boom
The average price of all types of land in regional areas rose last year for the first time since 1992 as the growing influx of foreign tourists rejuvenated real estate investment, the government said Tuesday. In regions outside the three major metropolitan areas of Tokyo, ...
Business / Economy Mar 6, 2019
Bank of Japan board member Yutaka Harada said on Wednesday the central bank must ramp up stimulus without delay if risks to the economy threaten achievement of its inflation target. Harada, a vocal advocate of aggressive monetary easing, said the nation's economy was facing growing ...
Business / Economy Mar 4, 2019
Japan inflation barometer points to zero price growth by summer, weighed down by oil and phones
The inflation outlook is looking dismal for the Bank of Japan as cheaper oil and falling mobile phone fees threaten to push price growth toward zero by mid-summer. The Bloomberg Inflation Barometer, which draws on eight drivers of prices, points to a sharp slowing in ...
Business / Economy Feb 28, 2019
Consumers in Japan likely to see food and beverage prices rise from March
Waves of price hikes for food and beverage products are set to hit shoppers in Japan from March. Makers say they can no longer prevent soaring material and logistics costs from being passed on to consumers. The price increases are expected to impact households and lead ...
Business / Economy Feb 15, 2019
U.S. retail sales post largest drop since 2009 as jobless claims surge
U.S. retail sales recorded their biggest drop in more than nine years in December as receipts fell across the board, suggesting a sharp slowdown in economic activity at the end of 2018. The economy's outlook was further dimmed by other data on Thursday showing an ...
Business / Economy Feb 14, 2019
Grocery shoppers in Turkey looking for a bargain were able to buy vegetables at unbeatable prices this week from an unexpected source: the local government. Turkish authorities have started setting up their own vegetable stands in a bid to force markets to lower food prices ...
Commentary / Japan Jan 24, 2019
by Daniel Moss
The central bank is buffeted by the same factors as its global peers — and homegrown challenges that are tougher to tackle.