Iranian students staged street protests in Tehran a day after the capital's shopkeepers demonstrated against economic hardship and won a message of understanding from the president. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/31/world/students-join-iran-demonstrations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #iran #inflation #trade

Most Federal Reserve officials expect additional interest rate cuts as long as inflation declines over time, though they remain divided over when and how far to cut, minutes of this month’s meeting show. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/31/economy/fed-minutes-rate-cuts-inflation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #us #federalreserve #interestrates #inflation #globaleconomy

A summary of the Bank of Japan’s most recent meeting hints of further rate hikes, with some board members noting that the country’s real interest rate remains very low. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/29/economy/bank-of-japan-december-meeting/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #boj #japaneseeconomy #inflation #kazuoueda

Around 76% of young people in Japan saw an increase in their monthly food spending compared with last year amid ongoing inflation, a survey by a nonprofit organization has found. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/27/japan/society/youth-rising-food-costs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #food #inflation #poverty #hunger

Tokyo’s inflation cooled more than expected as pressures from food and energy prices faded, triggering yen weakness on bets the Bank of Japan may delay the timing of its next interest rate hike. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/26/economy/tokyo-inflation-december/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #tokyo #inflation #japaneseeconomy #food #internalaffairsministry #boj

Asia’s economic growth in 2025 was sluggish, central banks acted cautiously amid low inflation and political pressures and the full impact of U.S. tariffs and policy choices will become clearer in 2026. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/25/world/2025-easy-money-defined-asia/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #monetarypolice #inflation #us #asia #china #thailand #indonesia #australia #govkazuoueda #boj

The Bank of Japan should take a cautious approach to raising interest rates as the government pulls out all the stops to energize the economy, according to a former board member. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/25/economy/boj-cautious-rate-hikes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #boj #japaneseeconomy #yutakaharada #inflation #wages

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and health minister Kenichiro Ueno have agreed to raise medical service fees by 2.22% in fiscal 2026, the first increase in 12 years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/medical-service-fees-agreement/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #hospitals #inflation #health #wages

Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing will raise base salaries for new graduates in Japan by as much as 12%, stepping up efforts to secure and retain talent as the country’s workers grapple with inflation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/22/companies/japan-uniqlo-operator-pay-hike/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #uniqlo #fastretailing #wages #inflation

"On a Thursday in early September, more than 40 strangers logged in to Instacart, the grocery-shopping app, to buy eggs and test a hypothesis.

Connected by videoconference, they simultaneously selected the same store — a Safeway in Washington, D.C. — and the same brand of eggs. They all chose pickup rather than delivery.

The only difference was the price they were offered: $3.99 for a couple of lucky shoppers. $4.59 or $4.69 for others. And a few saw a price of $4.79 — 20 percent more than some others, for the exact same product.

The shoppers were volunteers, participating in a study published on Tuesday and organized by the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive policy group, and Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer publication. In tests in four cities across the country, nearly 200 volunteers checked prices on 20 grocery items on Instacart.

On item after item, they found significant differences. In a Target in North Canton, Ohio, some shoppers were charged $3.59 for a jar of Skippy peanut butter that others could get for $2.99. At a Safeway in Seattle, some people paid $3.99 for a box of Wheat Thins while others paid $4.89. And at a Target in St. Paul, Minn., some people were charged $4.59 for a box of Cheerios that others could get for $3.99.

“Two shoppers who are buying the exact same item from the exact same store at the exact same time are getting different prices,” said Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative. “The data really backs up how extraordinarily pervasive this is.”
(...)
Groundwork’s findings are the latest example of how the notion of a single price, offered to all customers for a predictable period, is breaking down in the digital age. Companies are using sophisticated algorithms to adjust prices quickly in response to competitors’ offers and consumer behavior."

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/business/instacart-algorithmic-pricing.html

#USA #AlgorithmicPricing #DynamicPricing #Insatacart #Inflation #Algorithms

China is again limiting yuan gains to protect exports and manage economic weakness, but resisting a gradual appreciation risks trade tensions and forgoing benefits to domestic demand. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/18/world/push-for-stronger-yuan-continues/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #china #yuan #peoplesbankofchina #forex #trade #monetarypolicy #inflation

In an address to the nation, U.S. President Donald Trump promised Americans an economic boom and blamed his Democratic predecessor for high prices that have hit the Republican’s popularity. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/18/economy/trump-vows-economic-boom/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #us #donaldtrump #inflation #joebiden

Sales of Japan’s government bonds for individual investors have surged past ¥5 trillion this year, the most since 2007. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/18/economy/jgb-sales-highest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #jgb #japaneseeconomy #bonds #boj #inflation

Global coffee prices rose to record highs this year, sending the cost of cappuccinos and lattes soaring. But a caffeine habit is hard to kick, and people are choosing cheaper options. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/17/high-coffee-prices-consumers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #coffee #inflation

A prospective rise in Japanese interest rates could indicate that not only Japan, but also other heavily indebted economies, including the United States, could face sharply higher yields on government bonds. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/16/japan/japan-global-debt-warning/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #boj #debt #monetarypolice #japaneseeconomy #globaleconomy #inflation