BLOOMBERG
The Curious Case of Japan's Hidden Inflation

If the Bank of Japan's core price gauge is anything to go by, inflation has all but disappeared. Try telling that to anyone who pays the bills.

The general public thinks the cost of living is rising more than twice as fast as the official inflation rate, a survey of consumers by the Bank of Japan shows.

So why the gap? Naohito Abe, a professor at Hitotsubashi University, has one possible answer in an index that captures changes in prices of new products that account for almost half of goods sold at an average retail shop, and often don't show up in official data.

Together with Intage Inc. and the New Supermarket Association of Japan, he's come up with a measure that also captures the sneaky ways businesses milk consumers -- by reducing the size of a product while charging the same price.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-13/the-curious-case-of-japan-s-hidden-inflation

REUTERS

World Bank cuts East Asia growth forecast, warns of risks to outlook

(Reuters) - The World Bank cut its 2015 growth forecasts for developing East Asia and China, and warned of "significant" risks from global uncertainties including the potential impact from a strengthening dollar and higher U.S. interest rates.

The Washington-based lender expects the developing East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region, which includes China, to grow 6.7 percent in each of 2015 and 2016, down from 6.9 percent growth in 2014.

That's down from its previous forecast in October of 6.9 percent growth this year and 6.8 percent in 2016.

China's growth is likely to slow due to policies aimed at putting its economy on a more sustainable footing and tackling financial vulnerabilities, the World Bank said in its latest East Asia and Pacific Economic Update report on Monday.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/13/us-worldbank-asia-idUSKBN0N404O20150413

BLOOMBERG

Oil Bulls Boost Wagers by Most Since 2010 as Output Seen Peaking

Speculators increased bullish oil bets by the most in more than four years, wagering that the U.S. production boom is slowing.

Hedge funds boosted net-long positions on West Texas Intermediate crude by 30 percent in the seven days ended April 7, the biggest jump since October 2010, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show. Long bets rose to a nine-month high, while shorts tumbled 21 percent.

U.S. crude output and inventories may peak this month amid a record drop in rigs exploring for oil, Goldman Sachs Group said. Refiners returning from seasonal maintenance will add about 500,000 barrels a day of demand by July, the Energy Information Administration forecast, helping ease the biggest glut in 85 years.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-12/oil-bulls-boost-wagers-by-most-since-2010-as-output-seen-peaking