EWJE News and Press, iShares MSCI Japan Equal Weighted ETF From 05/24/21

au Jibun Bank Japan Flash Japan Composite PMI falls to 48.1 in May from 51.0 in April. Services sector reports steeper contraction, hit by fresh COVID-19 restrictions. Manufacturing output continues to grow in May, but with strong input cost inflation. Hiring conditions improv...

In this note, we look at the several headwinds that appear to have contributed to the recent underperformance along with the positive factors underlying these markets. The most obvious headwind to Asian markets this year has been the correction in technology. Another potential hea...

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway made a surprising investment in five Japanese general trading firms, known as "sogo shosha." Japanese equities have had a strong stretch of performance since the end of August. Japan's recent challenges on the virus front have created opportunit...

Global manufacturing output growth hits 11-year high, but record supply delays lead to production constraints. Backlogs of work rise at steepest rate for 17 years. Input costs rise at fastest rate for decade, lead to record factory gate price increase. For further details se...

With greater clarity on the sustainability of the economic recovery, we also saw the opportunity set across markets broaden to include sectors beyond those seen as the primary beneficiaries of an economic reopening. As expected, the recovery hasn't been smooth sailing for all, with su...

US and UK lead global expansion as eurozone and Japan lag. Virus restrictions, vaccine rollouts, business sentiment and stimulus drive service sector divergences. Manufacturing rises across the board, but worsening supply disruptions hint at rising price pressures. For furth...

More recently, however, resurgent coronavirus infections in India and Japan, both major oil importers, have weighed on prices. Market sentiment remains supportive, albeit cautious, for longer-term prices. However, the current caution around the demand picture in Q2 will likely cap...

In the week ahead, the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve meet. The US and the eurozone provide the first estimates of Q1 '21 GDP, and the preliminary April EMU CPI will be reported. The market is skeptical that the economic conditions will allow the Fed to wait until 2024 to lift ...

The pace of recovery has begun to diverge across economies, with vaccination progress and the scale of government stimulus among the biggest swing factors. Macro disparities have also begun filtering into EPS growth expectations. Cyclically sensitive sectors have dominated the upg...

Central banks are often credited with saving the world with their aggressive monetary stimulus during the GFC in 2008. Japan offers compelling insights into the relationship between central bank balance sheets, money supply, and inflation. Some investors are betting on inflation t...