Contact Mace News President
Tony Mace tony@macenews.com
to find a customer- and markets-oriented brand of news coverage with a level of individualized service unique to the industry. A market participant told us he believes he has his own White House correspondent as Mace News provides breaking news and/or audio feeds, stories, savvy analysis, photos and headlines delivered how you want them. And more. And this is important because you won’t get it anywhere else. That’s MICRONEWS. We know how important to you are the short advisories on what’s coming up, whether briefings, statements, unexpected changes in schedules and calendars and anything else that piques our interest.
No matter the area being covered, the reporter is always only a telephone call or message away. We check with you frequently to see how we can improve. Have a question, need to be briefed via video or audio-only on a topic’s state of play, keep us on speed dial. See the list of interest areas we cover elsewhere
on this site.
—
You can have two weeks reduced price no-obligation trial for $199. No self-renewing contracts. Suspend, renew coverage at any time. Stay with a topic like trade while it’s hot and suspend coverage or switch coverage areas when it’s not. We serve customers one by one, 24/7.
—
Tony Mace was the top editorial executive for Market News
International for two decades.
Washington Bureau Chief Denny Gulino had the same title at Market News for 18 years.
Similar experience undergirds our service in Ottawa, London, Brussels and in Asia.
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Thursday, April 30, 2026
0850 JST (2350 GMT/1950 EDT Wednesday, April 29) The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry releases March retail sales.
Mace News median: +1.0% y/y (range: -0.4% to +1.8%) vs. Feb revised to -0.1% from -0.2%; +0.4% m/m (range: -0.8% to +1.4%) vs. Feb -2.0%
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan’s retail sales are seen rising for the first time in two months in March after falling in the previous month, weighed down by sluggish clothing sales and a sharp drop in fuel prices following the government’s removal of decades-old surcharges at the end of 2025.
Retail sales are expected to increase 1.0% on the year in March after a revised 0.1% decline in February (initially -0.2%). Sales are projected to rebound amid stronger department store sales. Auto sales also appear to have picked up, with the decline in new passenger car registrations narrowing from the previous month, while the drop in fuel retailing is seen moderating.
On a month-on-month basis, sales are expected to rise 0.4% in March after falling 2.0% in the previous month.
In February, retail sales posted their first year-on-year decline in two months (the third in 12 months), slipping 0.2% (some had forecast a slight gain) after a modest 1.8% increase in January, partly reflecting payback for strong auto sales in February 2025 and a 10th straight drop in fuel sales.
In the same month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry maintained its assessment after upgrading it the previous month, saying retail sales are “on a gradual uptrend.”
Thursday, April 30, 2026
0850 JST (2350 GMT/1950 EDT Wednesday, Apr 29) The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry releases March and January-March industrial production, outlook for April and May.
Mace News median: +0.7% m/m (range: -1.0% to +2.5%) vs. Feb. revised to -2.0% from -2.1%; +3.0% y/y (range: +0.0% to +5.3%) vs. Feb. revised to +0.4% from +0.3%
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial output is expected to rebound in March, marking the first monthly increase in two months as the impact of Middle East geopolitical tensions appears limited and there are signs that exports picked up during the month.
Industrial production is seen rising 0.7% on the month in March after a revised 2.0% drop in February, compared with an initial 2.1% decline. The February contraction was initially driven by declines in trucks, engines, aluminum products and liquid crystal display panels. The subsequent upward revision reflected increases in pharmaceuticals and auto parts, while output in the food and tobacco industries fell.
On a year-on-year basis, output is expected to rise for a fourth consecutive month in March, increasing 3.0% after a revised 0.4% gain in February (initially 0.3%).
Separate data from the Ministry of Finance released on April 22 showed that Japan’s export values rose 11.7% y/y in March, marking a seventh straight increase and broadly in line with expectations. Exports reached a record ¥11.00 trillion, surpassing the previous high of ¥10.41 trillion set in December 2025.
In its February report, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry maintained its assessment that industrial output was “moving sideways.” The latest change to this view was made in July 2024, when the ministry upgraded its assessment.
Friday, May 1, 2026
0830 JST (2330 GMT/1930 EDT Thursday, April 30) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases April Tokyo CPI.
Mace News median: total CPI +1.6% y/y (range: +1.4% to +1.9%) vs. Mar +1.4%; core CPI (ex-fresh food) +1.8% (range: +1.6% to +2.0%) vs. Mar +1.7%; core-core CPI (ex-fresh food, energy) +2.3% (range: +2.0% to +2.5%) vs. Mar +2.3%
By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – The Tokyo consumer price index, a leading indicator of nationwide price trends, is expected to edge higher across the two main measures in April. The closely watched core CPI is seen accelerating for the first time in six months but is likely to remain below the Bank of Japan’s 2% inflation target for a third straight month.
The core CPI, which excludes fresh food, is projected to rise 1.8% in April from a near two-year low of 1.7% a month earlier. The underlying weakness of the yen continues to pose upside inflation risks.
Consumer inflation is seen edging up as the government is scaling back subsidies for electricity and gas from April, along with train fare hikes implemented from mid-March. Gasoline prices remain elevated amid tensions in the Middle East, but energy costs have been kept relatively contained by the government emergency subsidies, which cap gasoline prices at around ¥170 per liter. Meanwhile, food price gains appear to be slowing, with supermarket prices also trending lower.
Elsewhere, the overall CPI is expected to pick up for the first time since October last year, rising 1.6% on the year in April after increasing 1.4% in March. The core-core index, which excludes fresh food and energy, is seen holding steady at 2.3%.
–February Machinery Orders Seen Flat on Month After Smaller-Than-Expected Drop in January; BOJ Tankan Showed Solid Capex Plans in Fiscal 2026 By Max Sato (MaceNews)
–Geopolitical Conflict Still Top Tail Risk By Vicki Schmelzer NEW YORK (MaceNews) – Global fund managers pared risk holdings in April, with the move driven
–– Williams: FOMC Is Now ‘Really Well-Positioned’ To ‘Wait and See’ — Goolsbee: Fed in ‘Very Uncomfortable Situation; Facing Danger of ‘Stagflation’ By Steven K.
–ISM’s Miller: ‘Not Seeing Weakness in Services Sector’; Employment Subindex Slump ‘One-Month Blip’ By Max Sato (MaceNews) – U.S. services sector expansion slowed but maintained
–February Household Spending Seen Sluggish amid Falling Real Wages; March Producer Inflation to Tick Up on Higher Energy Costs By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Here
Consensus outlook for Mace News Tuesday, April 7, 20260830 JST (2350 GMT/1930 EDT Monday, April 6) The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications releases the
Consensus outlook for Mace News Friday, April 10, 2026 0850 JST (2350 GMT/1950 EDT Thursday, April 9) The Bank of Japan releases the March corporate
–ISM’s Spence: New Orders Creeping Back Down Toward Neutral, Widespread Price Hikes ‘Very Concerning’ By Max Sato (MaceNews) – U.S. manufacturing activity expanded for the
Contact Mace News President
Tony Mace tony@macenews.com
to find a customer- and markets-oriented brand of news coverage with a level of individualized service unique to the industry. A market participant told us he believes he has his own White House correspondent as Mace News provides breaking news and/or audio feeds, stories, savvy analysis, photos and headlines delivered how you want them. And more. And this is important because you won’t get it anywhere else. That’s MICRONEWS. We know how important to you are the short advisories on what’s coming up, whether briefings, statements, unexpected changes in schedules and calendars and anything else that piques our interest.
No matter the area being covered, the reporter is always only a telephone call or message away. We check with you frequently to see how we can improve. Have a question, need to be briefed via video or audio-only on a topic’s state of play, keep us on speed dial. See the list of interest areas we cover elsewhere
on this site.
—
You can have two weeks reduced price no-obligation trial for $199. No self-renewing contracts. Suspend, renew coverage at any time. Stay with a topic like trade while its hot and suspend coverage or switch coverage areas when it’s not. We serve customers one by one 24/7.
—
Tony Mace was the top editorial executive for Market News International for two decades.
Washington Bureau Chief Denny Gulino had the same title at Market News for 18 years.
Similar experience undergirds our service in Ottawa, London, Brussels and in Asia.
