Richard Katz


2nd Quarter GDP, Consumption Worse than 1997

The fallbacks in consumption and GDP were both markedly worse this April-June than after the analogous tax hike in 1997.

Japan GDP Plunge Worse than 1997

The larger-than-expected plunge in April-June GDP and the disappointing initial economic indicators for July have shown that the underpinnings of Japan’s economic recovery are far weaker and more fragile than the Abe administration, and most economists, had presumed.

Yen Weakens on US Interest Rate Speculation

After spending month after month in the ¥102/$ range, the yen finally seemed to resume to depreciation on which the Abe team is counting so much. It’s a small breakout: just a couple percentage points to the ¥105/$ range, the cheapest the yen has been since last December

The Real Cost of Japan's Farm Protectionism - Part 3

This report continues to detail the costs to the Japanese economy of the continued protection of inefficient farm sectors, this time focusing on the Local Allocation Grants from the national budget that are given out to prefectural and local governments. These grants amount to upwards of 3.5% of GDP and quarter of the national budget.

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