World Perspectives
equities

Japan Succeeding in Generating Inflation

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has been battling deflation and appears to be making some headway, based on its latest release of statistics. The core inflation rate, which like the U.S. excludes food and energy, was up to 0.7 percent in September 2013. This was the fourth month in a row that it has increased. The Consumer Price Index was 1.1 in September. That includes food at a 25 percent weighting with fuel, electricity and water utilities at 7 percent. Generally, deflation has been a problem in Japan since 2009.Indeed, Abe's government is targeting an inflation rate of 2 percent by 2015. Early this year, it started a policy of generating inflation via a loose monetary policy with some fiscal stimulus. Japan's yen...

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From WPI Consulting

Weighing in on strategic realignment

WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.

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