Read the latest from Michael Boskin: "The Debt-Growth Controversy" #economics http://t.co/pM5uQxkMzs
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Roubini Topic Archive: Japan
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Japan’s Lopsided Financial Balances
Tim Duy and Paul Krugman discuss the merits and failures of Japanese policy. The sectoral snapshot of the economic financial balances shows that Japanese policy was indeed a success but also a failure. First, policy was a success, given the private sector was recuperating from the bursting of a credit and investment bubble. The chart [...]
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It’s Wrong to Compare Italy to Japan
Reader Dilip pointed me to Paul Krugman’s article over the weekend, Italy Versus Japan. In it, Krugman (via commenters) asks why Italian debt is trading at 5.7% on the 10yr, while that in Japan is trading at 1.1% (as of July 19, 2011). The answer’s pretty simple: just 7% of Japan’s public debt is held [...]
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It’s Lonely at the Top: Now It’s Up to the Bank of Japan to Hold the Yen Down
Wow, FX space is totally rattled this week: the yen hit 76.25 against the dollar at the end of the day on March 16 and has since rebounded to current levels 80.90 (1:50pm in NY on 3/18). What happened over this time span? Mass speculation on yen appreciation due to earthquake-related repatriation, followed by technical levels being hit that drove the yen up against the dollar, and a collapse of the dollar against the yen (spike downward in the chart below). And then yesterday the G7 central banks (the Bank of Japan, Bank of England, European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, and the Bank of Canada) agreed to coordinate a weak-yen effort. Today the yen is off 2.7% against the dollar.
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Japanese Q3 2010 GDP Growth Hit It Out of the Ballpark But Set to Fall Flat Next Quarter
The Japanese economy grew 3.9% at a seasonally-adjusted annualized rate in Q3 2010 and over 2X the pace in Q2 2010 (data here). According to Bloomberg, the headwinds to Q4 growth are household consumption and the yen:
Consumption, accounting for about 60 percent of GDP, led the gain as households stepped up purchases of fuel-efficient cars ahead of the expiration of a subsidy program and as smokers stocked up before an Oct. 1 tobacco-tax rise. The yen’s climb to a 15-year high will probably damp growth this quarter as companies from Sharp Corp. to Nikon Corp. cut profit forecasts.
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More on how the NY Times Is Wrong About the Japanese Economy
The NY Times writes Japan Goes From Dynamic to Disheartened. As highlighted by Dean Baker, this article grossly misrepresents the dynamics of the Japanese economy. I likewise read this article with some dismay, wondering was there any actual research done in preparation for this commentary? -
Crib Notes for G7 Unemployment Rates
Unemployment rates across the G7 illustrate a broad-based labor recovery. Fantastic – now let’s get to the underlying stories.
(Note: The US is the first to release the June 2010 figures. All other unemployment rates, except for the UK, are current as of May 2010.)
Germany, France, and Italy: Germany’s labor market is ostensibly improving, as the unemployment rate continues its descent. However, don’t be fooled by these statistics: the German government is subsidizing firms to drop hours in lieu of outright layoffs.
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Japan: GDP – Exports – Manufacturing – Autos – Toyota
Forget the Eurozone for just a minute. Japan’s problems are big: Toyota is a major exporter/employer. Last year 48% of all new standard passenger vehicles sold in Japan were Toyota (or its Lexus brand). The WSJ article describes Toyota’s status in Japan as the following:
In short, Toyota is to Japan what General Motors Corp., in its heyday, was to America. And for a beleaguered country that has suffered a series of institutional blows in recent months—the collapse of the long-ruling political party, the bankruptcy of its champion national airline, a renewed bout of deflation— the global humiliation of Toyota may be the most psychologically damaging blow of all.
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Foreign Holdings of U.S. Treasuries: Was It Really That Bad? No.
I can’t believe that the Financial Times can get away with this. From the FT, titled Foreign demand falls for Treasuries:
Foreign demand for US Treasury securities fell by a record amount in December as China purged some of its holdings of government debt, the US Treasury department said on Tuesday.
China sold $34.2bn in US Treasury securities during the month, the US Treasury said on Tuesday, leaving Japan as the biggest holder of US government debt with $768.8bn. China overtook Japan as the largest holder in September 2008.
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Industrial Production Coming Back, But….
Japan’s industrial production “surged” 1.9% in June for its fifth monthly gain. From MarketWatch: Japan’s industrial production index rose a seasonally adjusted 1.9% on month in July, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Monday. The result was above a 1.6% on-month gain expected by economists polled in a Dow Jones Newswires and Nikkei [...]
