Daily Brief Thematic (Sector/Industry): Good Morning Japan |US Off = Directionless; BOJ in Focus +2trn JGB Buying; Kuroda off to Davos and more

• OVERSEAS:  US MLK Holidays – World markets directionless;  US Equity Futs flat; European Markets bid on Inflation peak;  BOJ decision to lead markets this week.
• JAPAN:  NKY Futures +0.2% vs Cash ; USDJPY flat at 128.52 ; BOJ speculation dominates local headlines;  Kuroda heads to Davos = no fireworks? ;  Dec Machine Tools orders +1%YoY
• DAILY NUGGET:  Fast Retailing and Sustainability: Set to introduce a new repair service in its domestic stores.

• Two US banks saw more than 80% of their net interest income delta erased by credit costs
• Many US banks are seeing sharply higher credit costs in 4Q22 from reversals a year ago
• Loan growth is decelerating in 4Q22 compared with 3Q22, not a positive outlook

In this next webinar we will speak to Smartkarma Insight Provider, Michael Causton about his top picks in the Japanese Retail and Consumer Market space. With the Japanese retail and consumer markets facing major catalysts for change like high levels of inflation, higher wages, and a labour shortage, what can we expect from the space, and what exactly it will take for Japanese retailers to thrive under these changes? 

The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday, 25 January 2023, 17:00 SGT/HKT.

Michael is co-founder and partner at JapanConsuming. JapanConsuming is a specialist research firm producing intelligence on Japanese retail and consumer markets. Founded in 2000, JapanConsuming has become the leading provider of insights on Japanese retailers and consumer trends to retailers, brands, government agencies and investors. As well as a highly regarded monthly report on the market, JapanConsuming produces in-depth reports and seminars on retail sectors and consumer trends, as well as telephone consulting/meetings with investors. All of JapanConsuming’s team are bilingual and bi-cultural, and the company’s research sources are: Direct meetings with retailers, wholesalers, distributors, trade body staff, govt., marketing firms, academics etc. Govt. data Trade association data Trade Press across all consumer sectors Unique Network of buyers/managers/marketing staff at retail, as well as wholesalers and trading firms. Editors/Journalists at publishing houses and PR/Ad firms. JapanConsuming was founded by Michael Causton and Roy Larke. Michael Causton set up and ran a consumer distribution business in Tokyo for 10 years and developed this into a business responsible for annual imports to Japan of several billion Yen, at the same time building up an inside knowledge of how Japanese distribution works and developing a network of contacts across the industry. Seeing the lack of quality market intelligence on Japanese markets, he co-founded JapanConsuming in 2000. He divides his time between Japan and Europe/US consulting for companies, governments and investors, including providing talks, seminars, and webinars as well as writing reports and books.