DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Japanese yen hits fresh 34-year low despite verbal intervention from authorities
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this article JPY= Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTThe Japan flag is juxtaposed against a Japanese yen bank note. Javier Ghersi | Moment | Getty ImagesThe yen slipped past 155 against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, touching a new 34-year low against continued strength in the greenback. The weakness comes as the Bank of Japan is due to release its monetary policy decision Friday and in spite of verbal warnings from Japanese authorities. Some market watchers had speculated that the 155 level would prompt intervention after the currency languished at multi-decade lows for a month. The yen has weakened 4.2% since the BOJ's March meeting, worrying Japanese authorities and investors.

Persons: Javier Ghersi, Shusuke Yamada, Jerome Powell, Appio Organizations: U.S, Bank of Japan, BofA Securities, Federal, First Eagle Investments, CNBC, Korean Locations: Japan, South Korea

☆ Japan's Message for Donald Trump: Don't Cut a Deal With China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

Trump, who reached a trade agreement with Beijing in 2019 that later expired, has not mentioned any potential deal with China during his campaign for the 2024 nomination. Two Japanese foreign ministry officials said they fear that Trump may be prepared to weaken U.S. support for nearby Taiwan in pursuit of a deal with China. A Trump aide told Reuters that no recent meetings have taken place between Trump and Japanese officials. "If he is going to cut a deal with China, Japan needs to try and get ahead of the curve and understand its potential role to support its interests in both the U.S. and in China," said Machida. Robert O'Brien, Trump's former national security adviser, also has connections with Japanese officials, two of the sources said.

Persons: John Geddie, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi, America's, Donald Trump, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden's, Trump, Xi, Kim Jong Un, they're, Ado Machida, Machida, Shinzo Abe, Aso, Japan's, Shigeo Yamada, Mike Pence, Jim Mattis, Mike Pompeo, Michael Green, Bill Hagerty, Yamada, Hagerty, Robert O'Brien, Trump's, O'Brien, Shigeru Kitamura, Biden, Tsuneo Watanabe, John Bolton, Watanabe, Yukiko Toyoda, Kaori Kaneko, Sakura Murakami, David Brunnstrom, Tim Reid, Ben Blanchard, Laurie Chen, Liz Lee, David Crawshaw Organizations: Trump, Republican, Group, North, Reuters, Fox News, U.S, Steel, Japan's Nippon Steel, U.S ., Liberal Democratic Party, . Studies, University of Sydney, Japan's U.S, Taiwan, Peace Foundation Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Asia, China, Beijing, Tokyo, Iowa, New Hampshire, U.S, Taiwan, Washington, Trump, Taipei

☆ 'All of Us Strangers' dominates British Independent Film Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Drama "All of Us Strangers" was the big winner at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) on Sunday, taking home seven awards, including best British independent film and best director. "All of Us Strangers", a mystery drama about love and loss, stars Andrew Scott as Adam, a writer living in a near-empty London high-rise. It's a movie about love and we're so proud of it," Scott told Reuters on the red carpet. The provocatively titled film follows three British teen girls who go on holiday with the aim of drinking, clubbing and hooking up. French filmmaker Justine Triet's Palme d'Or-winning movie "Anatomy of a Fall" was named best international independent film.

Persons: Jodie Comer, Celine Song, Andrew Scott, Adam, Harry, Andrew Haigh, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell, it's, It's, Scott, Mia McKenna, Bruce, Shaun Thomas, McKenna, George Mackay, Nathan Stewart, Jarrett, Sam H, Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Justine Triet's Palme, Hanna Rantala, Neil Fullikc Organizations: British, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, French

"Given the fast-changing landscape, I believe those who move fast (with wage hikes) should become competitive." A demand made this year by Rengo, Japan's largest trade union confederation, for pay hikes of "around 5%" resulted in average wage hikes of 3.58% among major companies. Six out of 10 economists in a Reuters poll expect major firms' pay hikes in 2024 to exceed this year's. The key, however, would be whether wage hikes broaden to smaller firms and those in the regional areas. A report by the BOJ's regional branch managers in October warned wage hikes remained uneven among sectors with many firms undecided on next year's pay increments.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Takeshi Niinami, Fumio, Kazuo Ueda, Hisashi Yamada, Rengo, Atsushi Takeda, Kishida, Keita Kondo, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sam Holmes, Leika Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Suntory Holdings Ltd, Reuters, Meiji, Life Insurance, Suntory Holdings, Bank, Japan, Hosei University, OECD, UA Zensen, Itochu Economic Research Institute, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Ukraine, Saitama

A light is seen under a signboard of Cosmo Energy Holdings' Cosmo Oil service station in Tokyo, Japan, December 17, 2015. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Cosmo Energy Holdings Co Ltd FollowTOKYO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Cosmo Energy Holdings (5021.T) could struggle to win shareholder backing for a revised "poison pill" strategy, its chief executive said on Friday, as the company seeks to defend itself from activist investors pursuing a hostile takeover. Japan's third-biggest oil refiner is calling another shareholder vote on Dec. 14 to seek approval to discourage an activist group led by Yoshiaki Murakami from increasing its stake to 24.56% from its current 20%. In June, a previous vote on a poison pill to dilute the activists' stake if they buy more shares without following set procedures succeeded. "We want to ask shareholders whose plans can boost the shareholder value, ours or Murakami-san?"

Persons: Yuya, Yoshiaki Murakami, Shigeru Yamada, Cosmo, Murakami, Yamada, Makiko Yamazaki, Yuka Obayashi, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Cosmo Energy Holdings, Cosmo Oil, REUTERS, Cosmo Energy Holdings Co, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ The Bank of Japan's safety margins are shrinking: BofA
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe Bank of Japan's safety margins are shrinking: BofAShusuke Yamada, the chief of Japan FX at Bank of America, says that the Bank of Japan needs more evidence to judge inflation.

Persons: Shusuke Yamada Organizations: Japan FX, Bank of America, Bank of Japan Locations: Japan

☆ I walked more than 100 miles in Kyoto. Here are 5 new places worth visiting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Morgan Awyong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Source: Morgan AwyongCuriosity was my main motivation to visit O'Chill, which allows visitors the chance to drink — and smoke — tea. Phones are strictly forbidden in the zen-like ceremony room, where matcha is served in a traditional tea ceremony. Co-founder Kiruta Wataru explains that tea leaves remove the prejudice often associated with smoking, while the fired leaves act like incense. Source: Morgan AwyongThere's no shortage of matcha cafes in Kyoto, but no one does it quite like Gokago. Source: Morgan AwyongTraditional restaurants are everywhere in Kyoto, but Kaji Kyoto isn't one of them.

Persons: dori —, O'Chill, Morgan, Kiruta Wataru, Wataru, Daichi Isokawa, Rokuhichido, Morgan Awyong, Shota Yamada, Yamada, Gokago, Kazuaki Nakanishi, it's, Kaji Kyoto, Kaji, Keone Koki, Koki, It's, Ajiki Organizations: Mount Fuji, Nishiki, Kaji Locations: Kiyomizudera, Kyoto, O'Chill, Peruvian, Kaji Kyoto, Japan, Okinawa

☆ Bank of America discusses the Bank of Japan's yield curve control tweak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBank of America discusses the Bank of Japan's yield curve control tweakShusuke Yamada, Bank of America's chief Japan foreign exchange and rates strategist, explains why the central bank's move last week was "a bit surprising."

Persons: Shusuke Yamada Organizations: Email Bank of America, Bank of, Bank of America's Locations: Japan

A Japanese city learned the hard way this week how very wrong they were, after prompting national outrage over flyers that tried to do just that. Onomichi city, in Japan’s Hiroshima prefecture, conducted a public survey in 2017 that was used to create flyers for pregnant women later distributed to local residents, according to the city government’s website. “There are differences in the way men and women feel and think,” one flyer reads. “One of the reasons for this is the structural difference in the brains of men and women. Meanwhile, structural issues still prevent many working men and women from balancing careers with family life, with mothers often sacrificing their jobs to care for their children.

Persons: –, “, Yuko Yamada, Yukihiro Hiratani, don’t, … You’d, ”, Fumio Kishida Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Twitter, Getty, Authorities Locations: Onomichi, Japan’s Hiroshima, ”, Japan, ” Japan, United States, Sweden

Global financial markets have been closely watching Japan's wage data, as Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda regards pay growth as a key gauge to consider in deliberations about a shift in policy. Regular wages rose 1.8% in May from a year before, labour ministry data showed, the biggest gain since February 1995. The strong base pay growth boosted worker's total cash earnings, or nominal wages, by 2.5% in May, after a revised 0.8% increase logged in April. Still, real wages contracted 1.2% in May, the 14th consecutive month of year-on-year declines, as relentless consumer inflation outstrips nominal pay growth and squeezes households' buying power. On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, household spending was down 1.1%, versus an estimated 0.5% gain to mark a fourth month of decline.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Kuroda, Hisashi Yamada, Rengo, Takumi Tsunoda, Shinichi Uchida, Taro Saito, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kantaro, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Global, Bank of Japan, Hosei University, Shinkin Central Bank Research, Nikkei, BOJ's, NLI Research, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Japan's base salaries jump most since 1995, puts Bank of Japan's policy into view
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Kazuo Ueda, governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), far right, speaks during an event at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Ueda said central banks need to be more careful about how they communicate with increase in their toolkits and advancements in monetary policy making. Global financial markets have been closely watching Japan's wage data, as Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda regards pay growth as a key gauge to consider in deliberations about a shift in policy. Regular wages rose 1.8% in May from a year before, labor ministry data showed, the biggest gain since February 1995. The strong base pay growth boosted worker's total cash earnings, or nominal wages, by 2.5% in May, after a revised 0.8% increase logged in April.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Noriaki Sasaki, Kuroda, Hisashi Yamada, Rengo Organizations: Bank of Japan, Yomiuri Shimbun, Bloomberg, Getty, Global, Hosei University Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ FOREX Dollar gains after Fed minutes reinforce rate hike expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Herbert Lash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Fed funds futures showed expectations of a 25 basis point hike at the end of a two-day policy meeting on July 26 rose to 88.7%, according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool. The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against a basket of six others, including the euro and Japan's yen, rose 0.262% . The Fed will likely increase rates in July after the hawkish pause last month baring any surprises, said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist for LPL Financial. The dollar rose to around 144.48 yen, but was still below the 145 threshold that prompted intervention by Japanese authorities last autumn. The dollar-yen rate has broadly moved in sync with the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield , which rose to 3.9375% after the Fed minutes were released.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, baring, Jeffrey Roach, Roach, Joe Manimbo, Shusuke Yamada, Herbert Lash, Amanda Cooper, Kevin Buckland, Marguerita Choy, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Federal, LPL Financial, Labor Department, Treasury, Bank of America, Ministry, Finance, People's Bank of China, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, Tokyo, Beijing, London

☆ Dollar steady before Fed minutes; yen hovers below 145-mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Herbert Lash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-U.S. Dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. The Federal Open Market Committee is due to release the minutes from its most recent policy meeting at 1400 EDT (1800 GMT). "Of course, another barometer for what the Fed does will be the jobs report on Friday," he said. The dollar hovered around 144.165 yen, below the 145 threshold that prompted intervention by Japanese authorities last autumn. The Australian dollar fell 0.1% to $0.6683, on course to snap a four-day streak of gains.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Manimbo, Manimbo, Shusuke Yamada, Herbert Lash, Amanda Cooper, Kevin Buckland, Shri Navaratnam, Helen Popper, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Federal, Fed, Treasury, Independence, Bank of America, Ministry, Finance, People's Bank of China, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S, Tokyo, Beijing, London

☆ Dollar steady before Fed minutes; yen hovers near 145-mark
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Federal Open Market Committee is due to release the minutes from its most recent policy meeting later on Wednesday. Investors will scour the minutes for any indications of Fed thinking, but Friday's monthly employment report will almost certainly carry more weight, analysts said. The dollar hovered around 144.3 yen, below the 145 level that prompted intervention by Japanese authorities last autumn. "However more broadly, it will provide support ... on expectations of an imminent policy response from Chinese authorities." The yuan headed for its first down day in four sessions in the offshore market, slipping 0.3% to 7.255 per dollar .

Persons: Adam Cole, Shusuke Yamada, RBC's Cole, it's, Tony Sycamore, Kevin Buckland, Shri Navaratnam, Helen Popper, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: U.S, Federal, Fed, RBC, Treasury, Bank of America, Ministry, Finance, People's Bank of China, IG, Thomson Locations: synch, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney

☆ Japan's firms offer biggest pay hikes in 30 years, wage growth broadens
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The final survey of 5,272 unions affiliated with Rengo showed an average pay hike of 3.58%, or 10,560 yen ($73.04) per month, the biggest increase since 3.9% seen in 1993. Among them, SMEs raised wages by 3.23%, also the fastest pace in three decades. What's important from now on is to bring real wages to positive territory," said Hisashi Yamada, economist and Hosei University professor. The pay hikes could provide some political support for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who has made wages as key part of his policy agenda, as a weak yen and higher import prices drive up living costs. Big firms' summer bonus payments are seen rising 3.9%, up for a second straight year, although gains are likely to be uneven, according to a survey by Keidanren, Japan's biggest business lobby.

Persons: Rengo, Kazuo Ueda, Hisashi Yamada, Fumio Kishida, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Rengo, Bank of Japan, Hosei University, OECD, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Dollar steady before Fed minutes; Aussie slips on China weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar hovered around 144.62 yen, below the 145 level that spurred intervention by Japanese authorities last autumn. Australia's dollar declined 0.24% to $0.6676, putting it on course to snap a four-day winning streak. Prior to the Chinese services data, the Aussie had been slightly stronger following another stronger yuan fixing from the People's Bank of China, fueling bets for imminent policy support from Beijing. "This (services data) provides further confirmation that the Chinese economy is slipping towards a double-dip slowdown," Tony Sycamore, a markets analyst at IG in Sydney, wrote in a client note. The yuan headed for its first down day in four sessions in the offshore market, slipping 0.13% to 7.2425 per dollar .

Persons: Europe's, Shusuke Yamada, Tony Sycamore, it's, Kevin Buckland, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: U.S, Federal, Treasury, Bank of America, Ministry, Finance, People's Bank of China, IG, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney

☆ Dollar steady before Fed minutes; yen hovers below intervention zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar index - which measures the currency against a basket of six major peers, including the euro and yen - was little changed at 103.02, after tracking between 103.75 and 102.75 since early June. Europe's shared currency edged 0.1% higher to $1.0886, recouping some of its 0.34% overnight decline. The dollar hovered about half a yen below the 145 level that spurred intervention by Japanese authorities last autumn, after last week briefly popping as high as 145.07 for the first time since November. Australia's dollar was flat at $0.6690, holding on to the previous day's 0.32% advance. The yuan was little changed at 7.231 per dollar in offshore trading , following a 0.3% rise on Tuesday as it continued its rebound from last week's eight-month low of 7.2857.

Persons: Europe's, Shusuke Yamada, Kevin Buckland, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Federal, Treasury, Bank of America, Ministry, Finance, Aussie, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Dollar steady before Fed minutes, yen hovers below intervention zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

United States one dollar bills are curled and inspected during production at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington. The dollar index, which measures the currency against a basket of six major peers, including the euro and yen, was little changed at 103.02, after tracking between 103.75 and 102.75 since early June. The dollar hovered about half a yen below the 145 level that spurred intervention by Japanese authorities last autumn, after last week briefly popping as high as 145.07 for the first time since November. Australia's dollar was flat at $0.6690, holding on to the previous day's 0.32% advance. The yuan was little changed at 7.231 per dollar in offshore trading, following a 0.3% rise on Tuesday as it continued its rebound from last week's eight-month low of 7.2857.

Persons: Europe's, Shusuke Yamada Organizations: Engraving, Federal, Treasury, Bank of America, Ministry, Finance, Aussie, Reserve Bank of Australia Locations: United, Washington, Tokyo, Beijing

☆ Generative AI has a Digital Blackface problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ryan Joe | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Advertisers using generative AI to depict BIPOC human models are raising alarm bells among critics who say this use case is Digital Blackface. There are cost-savings from using generative AI, not just for not hiring models but also to replace sets and backgrounds. "It's not like AI models are only created by white folks who then are using this digital blackface, digital yellowface, et cetera. There are people of color who have created generative AI models." Despite the need for caution, some advertisers want to train generative AI engines to be more representative of diverse experiences.

Persons: Levi's, Renee Miller, It's, Michael Mente, Revolve's, Theory's Miller, Miller, Gram, Slack, Brian Yamada, Yamada, Alex Coles, Coles, Megan Thee, Cheyanne Moore Organizations: Apparel Locations: Instagram

LONDON/TOKYO, May 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar rose strongly on Wednesday to a more than two-month high after data showed European inflation is cooling quicker than expected and China's recovery is sputtering. That helped the dollar index , which measures the greenback against six major peers, climb to 104.63, its highest since March 16. Data on Wednesday showed inflation in France and some of Germany's biggest states is slowing quickly. Euro zone-wide inflation data is due out tomorrow. "European inflation is rolling back now and you're taking back some of the previously anticipated hikes from the ECB," said Carl Hammer, chief strategist at European bank SEB.

Persons: Carl Hammer, SEB, Hammer, Shusuke Yamada, Bart Wakabayashi, Sterling, Tayyip Erdogan, Harry Robertson, Kevin Buckland, Mark Potter, Helen Popper Our Organizations: U.S, Analysts, European Central Bank, ECB, U.S ., Bank of America, State, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, France, U.S, China, COVID, Tokyo

☆ Japan: World's most expensive ice cream, by Cellato, costs $6,400
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Keep your hands steady: a scoop of this exquisite delight is probably going to cost more than all the ice cream you will have throughout multiple summers. Japanese ice cream brand Cellato calls white night a gelato on its website, and the name is a hint to its Italian origins. The ice cream is topped off by an edible gold leaf, two types of cheese and “Sakekasu,” a paste-like ingredient derived from the process of sake-making. The world's most expensive ice cream by Japanese maker Cellato is a conbination of luxury ingredients from Italy and Japan. They are advised to let the ice cream defrost at room temperature or microwave it at 500 watts for 10 to 20 seconds, if the texture is too hard.

Importantly, smaller firms are also starting to raise pay even as many of them face a margin crunch. Big firms offered pay hikes of 3.8% this year in annual wage talks with unions that ended in March, the largest increase in three decades. Attention has now shifted to whether small firms, which employ seven out of 10 workers in Japan, would follow suit. The BOJ's tankan business sentiment survey showed last month that small firms' current profits fell 2.7% in the last fiscal year to March, while big firms' earnings rose 11.5%. Less than half of small firms said they were able to pass on rising costs to customers as of last September, government data showed.

☆ Japan's big firms offer largest pay rises in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Rengo umbrella labour group has called for a 5% pay increase. The JERC survey showed that excluding seniority-based pay, base compensation that boosts fixed labour costs accounts for just 1.08%. "We need to focus on base pay. Workers from Japan's largest group of trade unions last week struck early agreements for hefty wage hikes. Unions have historically tended to settle for relatively meagre pay hikes around 2% in recent years, as unions are inclined to cooperate with management in keeping job security rather than aggressively demanding pay rises.

☆ Japan's big firms set to offer biggest pay rises in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Given that consumer inflation, at 4.1%, outpace wage hikes, pay rises of 3% or more need to continue in the coming years to sustain price stability at 2%, said Hisashi Yamada, senior economist at Japan Research Institute. "Average wage hikes that are consistent with the central bank's 2% price target are 3% which can be met this year albeit temporarily," Yamada said. Kishida's government will likely hold a joint three-party meeting with labour and management for the first time in eight years on Wednesday to ensure structural wage hikes. Workers from Japan's largest group of trade unions last week struck early agreements for hefty wage hikes. 1 automaker, and Honda, have also secured their biggest pay rises in decades.

It will also test Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's flagship "new capitalism" policy that aims to more widely distribute wealth among households by prodding firms to hike pay. World's largest car maker Toyota (7203.T) accepted a union demand for the biggest base salary growth in 20 years, while gaming giant Nintendo (7974.T) plans to lift base pay by 10%. The gain will comprise a 1.08% rise in base pay and a 1.78% increase in additional salary based on seniority, it said. Uncertainty over the sustainability of wage hikes could prod the BOJ to go slow in dialing back stimulus, some analysts say. The BOJ will probably wait until next year in doing anything radical, such as ending its bond yield control policy."

Search resuls for: "Yamada"

25 mentions found