general

Japanese Yen retreats as weak data adds to BoJ uncertainty

The post Japanese Yen retreats as weak data adds to BoJ uncertainty appeared com. The Japanese Yen (JPY) retreats slightly from an over one-week high touched against the US Dollar (USD) during the Asian session on Friday, following the disappointing release of Japan’s Household Spending data. Weaker consumer spending could cool demand-driven inflation and allow the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to delay further raising interest rates on the back of Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s pro-stimulus stance. This, in turn, prompts some JPY selling and assists the USD/JPY pair to climb back above the 153. 00 round-figure mark. Meanwhile, minutes of the BoJ’s September policy meeting, released on Wednesday, kept hopes alive for an imminent rate hike. Moreover, speculations that Japanese authorities might intervene to stem further weakness in the domestic currency might hold back the JPY bears from placing aggressive bets. The USD, on the other hand, remains on the defensive amid worries that a prolonged US government shutdown could affect the economic performance. This, in turn, might contribute to keeping a lid on any meaningful appreciation for the USD/JPY pair. Japanese Yen edges lower as weaker domestic data adds to BoJ uncertainty amid fiscal concerns Data released earlier this Friday showed that Japan’s household spending rose 1. 8% from a year earlier in September, compared to 2. 5% expected and 2. 3% growth recorded in the previous month. On a seasonally adjusted, month-on-month basis, spending fell 0. 7%, pointing to signs of cooling private consumption. Meanwhile, Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is reportedly looking to finalize an economic stimulus package of around $65 billion to address inflation and growth by late November and pass a supplementary budget to fund it. Moreover, the Bank of Japan remains reluctant to commit to further rate hikes. Minutes of the BoJ’s September 18-19 meeting highlighted a cautious rate-hike path as policymakers weighed inflation dynamics and trade risks. Board members,.

general

Trump’s claim that Thanksgiving is cheaper this year has several glaring omissions

With Thanksgiving just three weeks away, many families will soon be hitting grocery stores for all the staples and paying significantly higher prices than in previous years. President Donald Trump is arguing prices are lower in 2025, but he’s leaving out significant details. In a recent post to his Truth Social account, Trump asserted that families will be paying less for Thanksgiving dinner than they did under former President Joe Biden, saying key items will be “25 percent lower . according to Walmart.” He insisted that prices under his administration are “lower than the Democrats on everything, especially oil and gas” and proclaimed “the Democrats ‘affordability’ issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!” He added. However, Trump’s citing of Walmart’s prices for Thanksgiving dinner are misleading, according to a Thursday report the network found that while Walmart’s 2025 Thanksgiving list is cheaper, it also only contains 23 items. The 2024 list included 29 items, and six of those items onions, celery, sweet potatoes, chicken broth, poultry seasoning, muffin mix, marshmallows, whipped topping and pecan pie were left off of this year’s list. Several of the items that didn’t make it onto Walmart’s 2025 Thanksgiving list include produce items that the U. S. often imports from Canada and Mexico. According to food supply chain technology company Silo, the U. S. imports roughly $384 million worth of onions from Mexico each year, along with $251 million worth of potatoes. Both Canada and Mexico have been hit with tariffs of anywhere from 25 percent to 35 percent. Food prices have remained stubbornly high despite Trump’s claims. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the consumer price index for food at home in U. S. cities on average is 315. 489 as of September 2025, compared to 307. 201 in September of 2024. This week’s elections were seen as a referendum against the Trump administration’s handling of the economy since the president’s second term began in January. Democrats who ran on making food, housing and healthcare more affordable enjoyed double-digit margins of victory over their Republican opponents.