East Asia Today

The main data release today was PPI, import and export prices in Japan, which show inflationary pressures easing from June, but remaining high. As would be expected given the big rise in nominal GDP, tax revenue in Korea is growing strongly.

Paul Cavey

Aug 13, 2026 • 2 min read

Public Post

China – consumption guide

China's economic data are widely cited. But the data themselves aren't well understood. To try to tackle that, I have been making some data guides. This first one tackles consumption.

Subscribers Only

East Asia Today

The Japan Reuters Tankan shows the recovery in manufacturing sentiment that was interrupted by the Iran War is back on track. In Korea, unemployment remains below 3%, and that will be a truer measure of labour market tightness if some of the structural supply side shifts continue to lose momentum.

Subscribers Only

East Asia Today

Today, some charts on a longer examining fiscal policy in Japan. In today's data releases, exports in the first ten days of August ticked down. Likewise, growth in tax revenue in Taiwan slowed.