Japan Chart Pack Incoming data suggest outlook deteriorating (Nov 07) The latest monthly data have mostly been disappointing, confirming that the Bank of Japan will have to tread very carefully if it wants to continue returning interest rates towards more normal levels... 24th November 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Economy slowing, but no “hard landing” (Aug 07) For the first time in a long while it is possible to build a reasonable case for worrying about the Japanese economy: our monthly review of the latest data finds causes for concern among both... 24th August 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Growth to beat the consensus (again) this year (Jun 07) The upwardly-revised Q1 GDP data have set a solid base for the year. We expect growth of around 2.6% in 2007 as a whole, comfortably above the latest consensus of 2.2%. The slump in the index of... 24th June 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Consumer spending becomes a key driver of growth (May 07) The slightly disappointing GDP data for the first quarter still mark a good start for the year. In particular, the household sector made another large positive contribution. Investment was the soft... 24th May 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Consumer will have to offset industrial slowdown (Apr 07) The outlook for the Japanese economy is less clear than it has been for a while. Growth in the industrial sector is certainly slowing, albeit from a relatively high level. Weak manufacturing orders... 24th April 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Yen to rise further (Mar 07) The early data for January and February suggest that consumer spending has retained much of its positive momentum from the fourth quarter of last year, but industrial growth has peaked. The strong... 24th March 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Rate outlook remains pivotal to any recovery in yen (Feb 07) G7 officials have always argued that exchange rates need to reflect underlying economic fundamentals. The value of the yen is doing just that. The main reason for the recent weakness has been the... 24th February 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Falling unemployment to boost spending and inflation (Jan 07) Consumption is rebounding from the weather-related weakness in Q3, but wage growth and price inflation remain subdued. So far, employees appear to have been willing to sacrifice higher pay for greater... 24th January 2007 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Household spending beginning to recover (Dec 06) The majority of the monthly data released ahead of the crucial Tankan survey (to be published this Friday) has been upbeat. In particular, household spending has begun to recover from the slump in Q3... 24th December 2006 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Economy to rebound after a weak third quarter (Nov 06) The omens for third quarter GDP (to be released on 14th November) are not good. Consumer spending probably fell outright, due to a combination of bad weather and sluggish growth in real wages. However... 24th November 2006 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Data not as poor as headlines suggest (Sep 06) The recent deterioration in market sentiment towards the Japanese economy is largely unjustified. The jury is still out on the consumer sector following a string of weak numbers, but we suspect that... 24th September 2006 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack First quarter was as good as it gets (Jun 06) Our latest monthly review of the key data has made us a little more cautious about the prospects for the Japanese economy, despite the upward revisions to first quarter GDP. We still expect the Bank... 24th June 2006 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Interest rates set to rise after next Tankan (May 06) The positive trends in both business and consumer confidence suggest domestic demand will remain firm, helping to offset slower global growth and a stronger yen. Spare capacity is now largely... 24th May 2006 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Tankan posts the RIP for the ZIRP (Apr 06) The highlight of the past month was the upbeat Tankan survey of business confidence, which showed a broadening economic recovery with diminishing spare capacity and a tightening labour market. This... 24th April 2006 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Mixed signals in hard data, but surveys upbeat (Mar 06) Our monthly review of the key data in Japan finds some mixed signals in the official data. There are signs of renewed weakness in the monthly series on consumer spending and the downward trend in... 24th March 2006 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Scene being set for end of zero interest rates (Feb 06) The Bank of Japan left policy unchanged at the end of its monthly rate-setting meeting on 9th February, but we do not expect it to wait much longer. The data summarised here in our monthly review show... 24th February 2006 · 1 min read
