Japan Economics Weekly Is Japan really investing too much? Japan invests a larger share of its income in machinery and equipment than most other advanced countries, while generating rather tepid returns. Some are suggesting that Japan would be better served... 31st March 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly How much damage are high energy prices doing? Energy prices in Japan are now touching all-time highs, in part because a weaker currency has pushed up the local price of imports. But the threat to Japanese industry is easily overdone. In fact... 24th March 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Rising wages no guarantee of end to deflation The rise in base wages agreed upon in this year’s spring wage negotiations is far less impressive than some of the headlines suggest and is still consistent with real incomes falling. There is a good... 17th March 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly How vulnerable is Japan to geopolitical risks? Events in Ukraine and elsewhere in the emerging world have brought into focus Japan’s exposure to geopolitical risks due to its reliance on imported energy and the yen’s safe-haven role. Barring some... 10th March 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Competitive gains from weak yen fail to materialise Despite the sharp fall in the yen since 2012, Japanese exporters lost global market share last year. Rising costs and a sluggish world economy have played a part and both factors should fade in... 3rd March 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Inflation likely to fall back soon With the yen broadly stable since last May, import price inflation has already started to moderate and will probably fall sharply in the next few months. As wage growth is still muted and spare... 24th February 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Making sense of the diverging surveys Wide divergences have emerged in the results of the sentiment surveys in recent months. These typically reflect the design of each survey, as more backward-looking measures have climbed to record... 17th February 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Is Japan facing a repeat of 1997-98? While some emerging market assets have seen a sharp sell-off in recent weeks, it is premature to speak of a general crisis sweeping the emerging world. In any case, Japan’s exposure to most of the... 10th February 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Strong positive momentum at start of new year The Japanese economy is entering the new year with strong momentum. The data are probably being flattered by spending brought forward ahead of April’s consumption tax hike. But if this spending helps... 3rd February 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Can special zones revive the property market? The government’s proposal to allow residential properties to be built on some areas of commercial land is unlikely to lead to the hoped-for surge in property prices. With a larger supply of... 27th January 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly “Wage surprise” more likely to be a damp squib Prime Minister Abe has promised to deliver a positive "wage surprise" this year by working closely with employers and trade unions. He has drawn inspiration from an agreement reached in the... 20th January 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Monetary Indicators Monitor (Dec.) Despite a slowdown in December, the money supply continues to grow at a rapid pace. The growth rate of bank lending reached a fresh high and, with interest rates very low and bank lending attitudes... 16th January 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Further Nikkei outperformance likely The Nikkei rose by 60% in 2013, the largest increase in decades. A similarly stellar performance this year is obviously unlikely, but we still see room for further gains both in 2014 and 2015. While... 13th January 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Is the monetary arrow of Abenomics misdirected? The return of inflation prompted by the Bank of Japan's bold monetary easing may not be unambiguously positive for all sectors of the economy. Consumer spending will be weaker than otherwise and any... 6th January 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly A look ahead to 2014 In this final Japan Economics Weekly of the year we take a look at the local events and themes that will shape Japan’s economy and markets in 2014. The single most important scheduled event will be... 23rd December 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly One year of Abenomics – what has changed? A year after the election that returned Mr Abe as prime minister, the interim verdict on his attempts to revitalise the economy must be that much more still needs to be done. The most radical policy... 16th December 2013 · 1 min read
