| Japan Orders and Output Decline Second Month; Does it Mean Anything? Posted: 01 Jun 2014 10:12 PM PDT Orders and output in Japan contracted for the second month. However, the decline was small and it comes on the heels of a tax increase that shifted demand forward a couple months ago. Markit reports Slower Decline in Japanese Manufacturing Output in MayKey Points:
- Output and new orders fall for the second month running, but at slower pace
- Exports continue to fall
- Rate of job creation eases
Summary:
Japanese manufacturing firms saw a decline in output for the second month running in May alongside a con tinued fall in new orders and new export orders. That said, rates of decline for both new orders and output eased from those seen in April. Employment numbers grew in May for the tenth month running, albeit at a slower pace. The headline seasonally adjusted Markit/JMMA Purchasing Managers' Index™ (PMI™) – a composite indicator designed to provide a single - figure snapshot of the performance of the manufacturing economy – posted at 49.9 in May, up from 49.4 in April. This signalled a broad stabilisation in business conditions in the sector, following the decline in April.
Output fell for the second month running in May. Similar to April, panellists commented on a decline in demand due to the sales tax increase. That said, the deterioration in output eased in comparison to the previous month. Following a similar trend, new orders continued to fall with panellists again blaming the sales tax rise. However, the decline in new orders was only slight and weaker than in the previous month, with the seasonally adj usted New Orders Index moving closer to the 50.0 no - change mark. Alongside the falls in output and new orders was also a reduction in new export business.
May recorded the fastest fall in work outstanding since July 2013. Japanese manufacturing companies attributed this to a drop in business after the increase in sales tax. Despite falls in output and new orders, Japanese manufacturers in May saw employment growth for the tenth month running as companies took on extra staff in anticipation of workload growth. That said, the rate of job creation eased to the slowest since last November. Too Early To Tell The positive aspect in the report is the strength in jobs, yet job growth has slowed. The weak aspect is declining exports which cannot be blamed on a sales tax hike. Moreover, the Yen has been fairly stable recently so one cannot blame the drop in exports on a strengthening currency. All things considered, the report is somewhat a mixed bag. It will take another month or two to assess Japan properly. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
| Mish Reader Who Speaks Russian and Reads Ukrainian Updates the Situation in Ukraine Posted: 01 Jun 2014 10:24 AM PDT News media reporting of the situation in Ukraine has nearly vanished in the past couple of weeks. Here is an update from reader Jacob Dreizin, a US citizen who is fluent in Russian and can read Ukrainian. Mish,
Just wanted to give you an update on Ukraine. A lot has happened since I wrote you last.
The rebels in the eastern regions are clearing their hinterland of minor government positions, and securing their supply lines from Russia. The Russian government has started to allow volunteers and weapons to move across the border without interference from its side.
Whether intended or not, it is the classic insurgent battle plan. Once this stage is completed, the remaining government forces in Donetsk and Lugansk regions will be so isolated as to have no choice but to "temporarily redeploy and regroup", that is, to retreat.
The rebels now have MANPADS, Man-Portable-Air-Defense-Systems as suggested by the below photo.
Keep in mind that the average Ukrainian soldier is being paid around $100 per month, which often arrives late. Most of these people have no motivation to risk their lives in a prolonged war of subjugation and occupation in the eastern regions. So far, Kiev has been compensating for this with its better-paid special police detachments as well as with various yahoo militias funded by the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, owner of Ukraine's largest bank.
This cannot last. At some point, the body count will be such that a critical mass of the security forces will simply refuse to fight or even to be deployed in the war zones. We are already starting to see this. According to the Ministry of Interior, 13 west Ukrainian paramilitary police were fired today for refusing deployment to the eastern regions. There was also a recent case where around 100 soldiers in one reserve unit refused call-up orders.
Moreover, it is well known that the military is poorly fed, subsisting on donations as well as shipments of American MREs (meals ready to eat). There is a lot of grumbling in the ranks, and at some point we are going to start seeing mutinies and mass desertions.
Eventually, the Ukrainian war effort will grind down and then collapse. Meanwhile, the rebels grow stronger by roughly 100 men each day, on average. If Russia cuts off the gas in a few days, as threatened, this will be a huge blow, as it will degrade European support for Kiev.
Finally, please take a look at the video below of a pre-funeral memorial service for five rebel militiamen in a small city in the east. Pay special attention to the segment between 1:48 and 2:07. It looks to me like around two thousand people turned out for this event. So when you read that these rebels are "terrorists" and that theirs' is not a popular movement, and that the recent independence vote was a total fraud, and that it is all the work of Russia, you know you are reading Western media bias.
If you want, I can start sending you photos of destroyed homes and dead civilians, just to show that it is happening, and the media here couldn't care less.
All the best,
Jacob Dreizin For Jacob's previous email, please see Inside Ukraine: Mish Reader Who Speaks Ukrainian and Russian Challenges Western Media View of EventsAlternative ViewpointsClearly Jacob's point of view is completely different than that presented by Western media. Is it accurate? I really do not know. However, it certainly is possible, even though some may consider the his viewpoint to be nothing but pro-Russian propaganda. In a propaganda-war, the truth is frequently somewhere in the middle. But where in the middle? I will leave that for the reader to decide. Meanwhile, my own opinion has been the Eastern regions will not become part of Russia for the simple reason Russia does not want the associated problems. Will the issue of natural gas supply bring the crisis to head sooner rather than later? We will find out shortly. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
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