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Large fall in January industrial output The 4.6% m/m plunge in industrial production in January partly reflected disruptions caused by the early start to the Lunar New Year this year. Oddly, unlike export volumes, which typically show an equally strong …
3rd March 2023
Bank under political pressure to abandon Yield Curve Control as inflation surges Incoming Governor Ueda seems to have been given a mandate to end the policy However, existing Governor Kuroda may well spring one last surprise Yield Curve Control is on …
Broader inflation outlook still intact The unemployment fell slightly in January but we’re still expecting it to rise through mid-year due to an economic downturn. Meanwhile, energy inflation fell by less than we expected in Tokyo as government subsidies …
Tokyo CPI data suggest some upside risks to our inflation forecasts The unemployment rate edged down in January but the job-to-applicant ratio held steady, suggesting the labour market doesn’t have room to tighten much further. Meanwhile, Tokyo inflation …
2nd March 2023
Q4 GDP growth to remain at 0.2% The increase in capital spending reported in today’s “Financial Statements Statistics of Corporations” is broadly consistent with the preliminary Q4 GDP estimate. That means Q4 GDP growth is likely to remain at 0.2% q/q in …
Industrial activity should rebound in February We suspect that the early start to the Lunar New Year was partly responsible for the sharp fall in industrial production in January and there should be a strong rebound in February. Meanwhile, retail sales …
28th February 2023
Industrial output set for February rebound Industrial production contracted sharply in January and we suspect the early start to the Lunar New Year was partly responsible and there should be a strong rebound in February. Meanwhile, retail sales volumes …
27th February 2023
Fight over yield ceiling resumes Yield Curve Control (YCC) remains on borrowed time. The 10-year Japanese government bond (JGB) yield has consistently closed above the 0.5% ceiling since Monday last week and this week the Bank has once again had to step …
24th February 2023
Inflation will fall below 2% by mid-2023 Inflation hit a four-decade high in January and while we still expect inflation to fall below the Bank of Japan’s 2% target by mid-year thanks largely to the government’s energy subsidies, there are now upside …
Upward momentum in food inflation appears spent Inflation hit a four-decade high in January but due to stalling food inflation and the government's energy subsidies, we expect it to fall below the Bank of Japan's 2.0% target by mid-year. Headline …
23rd February 2023
The higher bond yields that would follow abandonment of Yield Curve Control would make it more difficult to stabilise Japan’s public finances. But the long maturity of government debt means that the government’s interest rate bill would only creep up …
22nd February 2023
February readings reinforce dim economic outlook in Q1 February’s flash PMIs are broadly consistent with our downbeat narrative of the economy in 2023. The manufacturing PMI fell further due largely to a plunge in export orders, while a further rise in …
21st February 2023
Manufacturing downturn gathering speed According to today’s flash estimate, the manufacturing PMI fell deeper into contraction from 48.9 in January to 47.4 in February. The output sub-index fell to 44.9, the weakest reading since July 2020. Firms are …
20th February 2023
Export volumes fell again in January The 0.2% q/q rise in Q4 GDP was weaker than most had anticipated and is consistent with our view that the economy will do much worse this year than anyone expects. Indeed, the early indications are that economic …
17th February 2023
Exports downturn well under way The trade deficit was virtually unchanged in January, as volumes and prices of exports and imports fell across the board. With the global downturn weighing on external demand, further export volume contractions are in …
16th February 2023
Exports and machinery orders to trend down in H1 The trade deficit was virtually unchanged in January, as volumes and prices of exports and imports fell across the board. Export volumes likely fell for the second consecutive month and with the global …
15th February 2023
The government formally nominated Kazuo Ueda as the next Bank of Japan Governor at yesterday’s Diet session. Since the initial announcement of his candidature last Friday , analysts and investors have been looking for clarity on Mr Ueda’s views. So far …
Still on track for a recession in the first half Japan’s economy returned to growth in Q4, avoiding a technical recession after the contraction in Q3. With business investment slowing even quicker than we anticipated and a lower savings rate leaving less …
14th February 2023
Weak investment momentum makes recession even likelier Japan’s economy returned to growth in Q4, avoiding a technical recession after the contraction in Q3. However, the rebound was subdued, let down mostly by contractions in business investment and …
13th February 2023
The main development of the week happened in the past few hours: the reported nomination of Kazuo Ueda as the next BoJ Governor. Our initial response is here . While analysts and investors are looking for clarity on Mr Ueda’s views, there is little to …
10th February 2023
The nomination of Kazuo Ueda to lead the Bank of Japan could be read as a sign that the Kishida government is seeking a shift away from ultra-loose policy, but we aren’t fully convinced that this is the case. According to media reports, Japan’s government …
Q1 2023 to still see decent consumption growth Current readings dipped slightly in January's Economy Watchers Survey but the jump in outlook readings, suggests spending growth this quarter will still be decent. “Current conditions” dipped slightly from …
8th February 2023
Decades-high wage growth won’t be sustained The large jump in wage growth in December was mostly due to a surge in volatile bonus payments and it will slow over the coming months. The much quicker wage growth in December, rising from 1.9% y/y to 4.8%, …
7th February 2023
6th February 2023
Regional utilities seek electricity rate hike Seven regional utility companies (of 10 in total) that together serve around 60% of Japan’s population have now applied to the government to raise the rates on their regulated electricity contracts with …
3rd February 2023
Recession may have already begun The unemployment rate stayed unchanged in December, but labour market conditions are beginning to betray signs of loosening. Similarly, the strong rebound in retail sales is likely to give way to slower growth as the …
31st January 2023
Weakening industrial production outlook heralds recession Retail sales rebounded in December and industrial production was mostly flat in December. However, firms’ forecasts are consistent with sharp contractions in industrial output over the coming …
Unemployment rate to rise before long The unemployment rate stayed unchanged in December, but labour market conditions are beginning to betray signs of loosening. We are expecting unemployment to rise to 2.8% by mid-year due to a recession. The labour …
30th January 2023
The conventional wisdom is that the annual spring wage negotiations (Shunto) are a bellwether for wage growth. In reality, the small number of employees covered by the talks and their bias towards workers in large manufacturing firms means that the Shunto …
PM Kishida, demographic doomsayer In his speech on Monday kicking off the first Diet session of the year, PM Kishida proclaimed that it is “now or never” when it comes to addressing Japan’s demographic decline. To that end, he pledged to double spending …
27th January 2023
Balanced risks to our 2023 inflation view Tokyo inflation rose to 4.4% in January as fresh food and services inflation rose. But with the boost from the weaker yen fading and lower commodity prices due to feedthrough, inflation should fall this year. …
January print likely the peak for inflation Tokyo inflation rose to 4.4% in January as fresh food and services inflation rose, signalling a similar jump at the national level. But due to the government’s energy subsidies we expect it to fall below the …
26th January 2023
10-year JGB yield retreats from ceiling Following the Bank of Japan’s decision on Wednesday to keep its short-term policy rate and Yield Curve Control (YCC) settings unchanged, 10-year Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yields fell to as low as 0.37% that …
20th January 2023
Inflation will fall below 2% by mid-2023 Inflation hit 4% in December but due to the government’s energy subsidies we expect it to fall below the Bank of Japan’s 2.0% target by mid-year. The increase in inflation from 3.8% to 4.0% in December was in line …
Government measures to lower inflation from January Inflation hit 4% in December but due to the government’s energy subsidies we expect it to fall to around 3.0% in January, and further below the Bank of Japan’s 2.0% target by mid-year. The increase in …
19th January 2023
While the Bank of Japan pushed back against expectations that it would end its Yield Curve Control (YCC) policy yesterday, we think it is only a matter of time before YCC bites the dust. That suggests further upward pressure on the yield of JGBs and the …
Exports heading into 2023 on the backfoot While the trade deficit narrowed further in December, most of that reflects falling import prices. Export volumes likely fell slightly and with the global downturn weighing on external demand, export growth will …
18th January 2023
The BoJ kept policy settings unchanged today, but the increase in its medium-term inflation forecasts supports our view that Yield Curve Control will be abandoned once a new Governor takes over in April . Following the unexpected widening of the tolerance …
New Governor will ditch Yield Curve Control in April The Bank of Japan kept policy settings unchanged today, but the increase in its medium-term inflation forecasts supports our view that Yield Curve Control will be abandoned once a new Governor takes …
Business investment likely ended 2022 with a whimper “Core” machinery orders fell to their lowest level since February 2022 in November, pointing to a contraction in spending on machinery and transport equipment in Q4 from Q3. The upshot is we now have …
Further signs of investment slowdown Weakness in the manufacturing sector led to “core” machinery orders falling to their lowest level since February 2022, and points to a slowdown in investment last quarter. “Core” orders crashed by 8.3% m/m in November …
17th January 2023
Services inflation on the rise The timely Tokyo CPI showed that inflation jumped from 3.7% to 4.0% in December, twice the BoJ’s 2% target. Our measure of “core” goods inflation accelerated further, but below the surface there are clear signs of a …
13th January 2023
Widening of tolerance band has done little to improve market functioning Nomination of less dovish Governor would signal Yield Curve Control is on its way out However, renewed slowdown in inflation will prevent policy rate hikes The widening of the …
11th January 2023
In less than two months, we should know who will replace Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda Haruhiko, whose term ends on 8 th April. Whoever replaces him will be under increasing pressure from the government to abandon Yield Curve Control (YCC), which has an …
9th January 2023
Q4 industry slump won’t prevent GDP rebound We warned in December that the surge in manufacturing inventories in the Tankan signals a sharp downturn in industrial activity. As it happens, industrial production only fell marginally in November. But that …
6th January 2023
Wage growth should settle around 1% this year The sharp slowdown in wage growth in November was mostly due to a plunge in volatile bonus payments and wage growth will rebound over the coming months . The slowdown in wage growth in November, from 1.4% to …
Wage growth will settle around 1% The sharp slowdown in wage growth in November was mostly due to a plunge in volatile bonus payments and it will rebound over the coming months. The slowdown in wage growth in November, from 1.4% y/y to 0.5%, was more …
5th January 2023
The nomination of a less dovish candidate to succeed BoJ Governor Kuroda would probably signal that Yield Curve Control will soon be abandoned, though we would still expect the Bank to keep its short-term policy rate at -0.1%. This would result in a …
4th January 2023
Yet another surprise from Governor Kuroda The Bank of Japan surprised everyone on Tuesday by widening the tolerance band around its 0% target for 10-year Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yields by 25bp to 0±50bp. The Bank argued that this decision was …
23rd December 2022
