
Japan's Ishiba Tries to Buy Time After Historic Election Setback
'As we are the biggest party in parliament, I believe I must fulfill my responsibility to the nation and its people,' Ishiba said at a press conference held Monday after an election that left the ruling bloc three seats short of maintaining a majority in the upper house. Ishiba raised the US trade talks, inflation and an increasingly tense security environment as pressing issues that must not be left to stagnate due to political instability.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Famed market bear Albert Edwards warns of an 'everything bubble' in US stocks and home prices that could soon pop
Albert Edwards warns of a potential US stock and housing market bubble. Rising interest rates and Japan's fiscal concerns could trigger market corrections, he said. Edwards publishes his notes under Société Générale's "alternative view." Société Générale's Albert Edwards, famed for calling the dot-com bubble leading up to the 2000 crash, is again warning investors of a potentially painful plunge ahead. In his latest note to clients this week, Edwards said US stocks and home prices are in an "everything bubble" that he thinks could soon pop. Stock valuations are indeed steep. The Shiller cyclically-adjusted price-to-earnings ratio sits at 38, one of its highest levels ever, and both the trailing and forward 12-month PE ratios of the S&P 500 are historically high. To Edwards, this doesn't sit well with the fact that long-term interest rates have been on the rise. Rising long-end government bond yields tend to weigh on stock-market valuations as investors can find attractive returns without taking on the high level of risk in the stock market. Yet US stocks have seen a robust rally in recent years, gaining 78% since October 2022 lows. The market's high valuations have kept future estimated equity-market yields low. When stocks are more cheaply valued, they can expect higher future returns, and vice versa. "It is notable how the US equity market has been able to sustain nose-bleed high valuations despite longer bond yields grinding higher," Edwards wrote. "I don't expect it'll be able to ignore it much longer." On housing, Edwards said that the home price-to-income ratio in the US has been virtually flat over the last few years following the pandemic bump, while the ratio has dropped in countries like the UK and France. "The US is the only market in which house price/income ratios have NOT de-rated since 2022 as bond yields have risen. Is the US housing market also exceptional relative to Europe? No, it's nonsense and, in time, investors will come to claim they knew that all along," Edwards wrote. As for what could cause the potential bubbles in US stocks and home prices to burst, Edwards said to watch Japan. "In the wake of the ruling party coalition losing its Upper House majority, concerns in the bond market about the risks of further fiscal easing and high inflation are growing," he wrote. Higher inflation in Japan could mean higher interest rates and a further unwinding of the Japanese yen carry trade, in which foreign investors borrowed cheaply in yen and converted to dollars to buy higher-yielding US assets. In 2024, the Bank of Japan unexpectedly hiked rates, roiling global markets as investors liquidated assets they had bought with borrowed yen. In May, Edwards warned rising interest rates in Japan could cause a "global financial Armageddon." Edwards publishes his notes, which regularly express a bearish outlook, under Société Générale's "alternative view," separate from the bank's house view. "A lot of clients who totally disagree with me like to read my stuff," he told Business Insider in May. "It's a reality check." Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Japan says $550 billion package in trade deal could finance Taiwanese chipmaker in US
By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's $550 billion investment package agreed in this week's U.S. tariff deal could help finance a Taiwanese firm building semiconductor plants in the U.S., Japan's top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said on Saturday. Japan agreed to the sweeping U.S.-bound investment initiative, which includes equity, loans and guarantees, in exchange for lower tariffs on its exports to the U.S. However, the structure of the scheme remains unclear. "Japan, the United States, and like-minded countries are working together to build supply chains in sectors critical to economic security," Akazawa told public broadcaster NHK. To that end, he said projects eligible for financing under the package are not limited to U.S. or Japanese firms. "For example, if a Taiwanese chipmaker builds a plant in the U.S. and uses Japanese components or tailors its products to meet Japanese needs, that's fine too," he said, without specifying companies. The U.S. is significantly reliant on Taiwan's TSMC for advanced chip manufacturing, raising economic security concerns due to geographic proximity to China. TSMC announced plans for a $100 billion U.S. investment with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in March, on top of $65 billion pledged for three plants in the state of Arizona, one of which is up and running. Japan will use state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) for the investments. A recent law revision has enabled JBIC to finance foreign companies deemed critical to Japan's supply chains. Akazawa told NHK that equity investment would account for just about 1-2% of the $550 billion, suggesting that the bulk will come in the form of loans and guarantees. When asked about the White House statement that the U.S. would retain 90% of the profits from the package, he clarified that the figure refers only to returns on equity investment, which would represent a small fraction of the total. While Japan initially hoped to secure half of the returns, a loss from the concession on the profit-sharing would be marginal compared to the roughly 10 trillion yen ($67.72 billion) in tariff costs that could be avoided under the deal, he said. He added that Japan aims to deploy the $550 billion investments during Trump's current term. ($1 = 147.6600 yen)

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
No Republican candidate yet for secondary Sunbury City Council election
SUNBURY — A Republican candidate for a secondary Sunbury City Council race in November has yet to be announced, according to the Northumberland County Election's Office. Each party has until Sept. 15 to name a candidate for the two-year seat, according to Northumberland County Director of Elections Lindsay Phillips. Northumberland County Democratic Committee Chairperson, John J. Merchlinsky III, announced the Democratic committee chose Victoria Rosancrans as their candidate. The seat became open when former Councilwoman Lisa Martina resigned to become city treasurer. Merchlinsky said Rosancrans is a longtime community leader and advocate who would bring three decades of volunteer service and proven leadership to the position. The secondary election came to be after Martina ran for and won the Republican nomination for city treasurer in May. She is unopposed for the November General Election. She was appointed to fill the vacancy left when former Treasurer Kevin Troup retired to pursue a seat on city council. Martina stepped down from from city council after she was appointed treasurer. Troup, current Councilman Nate Savidge and Andres Manresa all advanced out of the primary and will be competing for two four-year seats on council. The secondary election was announced by the Northumberland County Election's Office last month. Northumberland County Republican Chairperson Deb Betz could not be reached for comment. Sunbury City Council members John Barnhart, Jim Eister, Savidge and Mayor Josh Brosious are waiting for a decision from Northumberland County president Judge Paige Rosini on who will fill the vacant seat until January. Solicitor Joel Wiest filed a petition to the court after council could not agree on an appointment for the seat. The two candidates that were voted on at a council meeting nearly two weeks ago were Rosancrans and city resident Andrew Ramos. Both received two votes, and council decided to petition the court to fill the vacancy. Rosini does not have to choose between the two, and can appoint anyone she wants to fill the seat. Solve the daily Crossword