Shigeru Ishiba, a former defense minister, is seen as a frontrunner in the race to become Japan’s next prime minister. His strong stance on transitioning from nuclear power to renewable energy and advocating for female emperors sets him apart from the other candidates. Ishiba’s economic strategy of increasing wages and potentially exempting certain goods from
Economy
In a bold move, Naoki Tamura, a hawkish policymaker at the Bank of Japan, has publicly stated that the central bank must raise interest rates to at least 1% by the second half of the next fiscal year. This marks the first time a BOJ official has specified a target rate for short-term borrowing costs.
The past two years have seen the Federal Reserve implementing steep interest rate hikes in an attempt to slow down the U.S. economy. However, despite this tightening, the overall impact on the economy has been surprisingly minimal. U.S. real GDP has continued to show growth rates exceeding 2% in most quarters since the middle of
The Bank of Japan remains committed to raising interest rates if inflation follows the path outlined in its forecast. According to policymaker Junko Nakagawa, the recent market turbulence has not derailed the central bank’s intention to gradually increase borrowing costs. Despite the potential risks associated with such a move, Nakagawa emphasized the importance of considering
The World Bank President, Ajay Banga, recently highlighted the need for the global lender to adapt to a world that is becoming increasingly polarized. In a speech at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney, Banga emphasized the importance of working faster and simplifying processes to meet the evolving needs of countries around the world.
In a tumultuous week for the stock market, Wall Street seems poised for a rebound as investors hold onto hopes of a soft landing scenario for the U.S. economy. The heavy losses witnessed in the previous week appear to be shifting, with all megacap stocks showing gains in premarket trading. The optimistic sentiment is reflected
France is facing a financial crisis that could potentially spiral out of control if extra savings are not found to reduce the public deficit. The European Commission has set a deadline of Sept. 20 for France to submit a plan to address this issue. However, the French government has requested an extension beyond this deadline
Recently, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hinted at the possibility of not continuing at the highest levels of government once President Joe Biden’s term ends in January. During an event at the Texas Tribune Festival, she indicated that she is “probably done” but left some room for speculation by saying, “we’ll see.” Yellen, who is
As reported by Lucia Mutikani for Reuters, the latest data on jobless claims in the United States offers a glimmer of hope amidst fears of an economic downturn. The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits decreased, indicating that layoffs remain low. This positive trend could potentially allay concerns about the health of
The safe-haven Japanese yen has experienced a significant rally, while riskier currencies like the Australian dollar and sterling have struggled in the aftermath of the recent sell-off on Wall Street. The surge in the yen can be attributed to concerns sparked by soft U.S. manufacturing data, which has heightened fears of a potential hard landing
The European Central Bank (ECB) is currently facing a heated internal debate among policymakers regarding the outlook for growth in the Eurozone. This conflicting narrative has created a rift that is likely to influence the ongoing rate cut discussions, with some members expressing concerns about a potential recession while others are more focused on the
Volkswagen, Europe’s top carmaker, is currently facing mounting price pressure from Asian rivals which may lead the company to considering closing factories in Germany for the first time. This move would mark the first major clash between Chief Executive Oliver Blume and the influential unions at VW. The executive board’s plans have been met with
Recent data suggests that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) is likely to keep its key interest rate steady as the country’s economic growth remains robust and inflation is under control. Despite the current inflation rate of 2.0%, BNM has successfully kept it in check. Additionally, the Malaysian ringgit has shown signs of strength, transitioning from one
Brazil’s Finance Ministry has revealed its plans to propose new tax measures to Congress as part of the 2025 budget bill. These measures include imposing taxes on big tech companies, implementing a global minimum tax on multinational corporations, and making changes to certain income taxes to secure the fiscal goals for the upcoming year. One