Today’s Issue Cluster: Japan
Japan – Q4: GDP Grows More Slowly Than Expected; +2.2% not +3.7% / R / WSJ / NYT / FT / AP / B / WSJ *
Singapore – Q4: GDP Grew More Than Initially Estimated; +2.9% was +2.8% / B
Thailand – 2014: Economy barely grew after protests, coup; +0.7% from +2.9% / AP / AFP / B
Germany – Feb: ZEW investor confidence highest in a year; 53.0 from 48.4 / AP / B / AFP *
US – Feb: NAHB Home-Builder Confidence Dips; 55 from 57 / WSJ / R *
Yen – Scoring on Bets Currency Will Fall Gets Harder WSJ / B *
Japan – Exit from recession lacks momentum FT / FT * *
Japan – Affirms pledge to raise consumption tax in 2017 FT / N / wsj *
Japan – Growth Data Show Signal of Inflation wsj *
Japan – ‘Abenomics’ Seen As ‘Abemarkets’ As Economy Sputters IBD *
Japan – Piketty’s formula may lead to another answer for Abe N *
Japan – May Be Exception to Piketty’s Thesis WSJ / wsj *
BOJ – Another round of QE might not be politically popular FT
BOJ – Abenomics architects tighten grip FT
BOJ – A top shareholder of Japanese electronic parts makers N *
Japan – Shrinking living rooms put squeeze on Abenomics FT * *
Japan – Property shares struggle with deflation jitters R / N *
Japan – REITs may have a leg up on property stocks N * *
Japan – Corporate property deals soar to 7-year high N *
Japan – Hotel room rates near pre-2008 level N *
Japan – Tourism Boom Draws Hotel Investors WSJ *
Retail – Natural Food Grocers Thrive In A Choppy Stock Market IBD
Retail – Self-Checkout Begins to Take Hold in Japan WSJ *
Ship – Port Delays Starting to Damage Businesses WSJ / R / B / NYT / WSJ / WSJ *
Miners – Dollar’s Rise Papers Over Woes WSJ *
Miners – Concerns raised as China steel enters ‘peak zone’ FT * *
Miners – Commodity prices go back to basics FT * *
Oil – Black Swans on the Horizon WSJ *
Oil – Rigs Are Being Idled, but Boom Is Not Ending B / B *
Oil – Traders celebrate market rout FT * *
Oil – Cushing running out of storage / b *
Oil – Discoveries drop to 20-year low FT *
Oil – Europe’s Companies Get a Boost From Their Refineries WSJ *
Oil – ‘Avoid Exxon, Chevron, Conoco and Royal Dutch’ Bn * *
Oil – BP’s battles leave it vulnerable to major move FT *
Oil – How a $50 drop in prices affects countries / bi *
Japan – Wage growth key for getting consumers to do the heavy lifting N *
Countries with a smaller population than Tokyo motw *
