United States

We’ve previously added several monthly metrics regarding the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB) bond issuance program, which is used to fund advances to banks. We’ve now made available a daily series tracking new bond issuance. 

In the chart below, we aggregated the daily series into a monthly rolling sum. Historically, FHLB bond issuance never exceeded USD 50 billion in a month. But that the trend broke this year, accentuated by the intense demand for cash across the banking sector as deposits melted. 

Japan

We’ve expanded our demographic coverage, adding statistics about Japanese citizens living abroad. 

The chart below displays the most recent breakdown of where expats and emigrants are living. A third of Japanese citizens living abroad reside in the United States. The next largest diasporas are in the APAC region, with China, Thailand and Australia completing the top 4. 

Malaysia

We’ve expanded our coverage of retail sales with a breakdown by sector. The chart below, which is not adjusted for inflation, displays the contribution of each sub-category to the year-on-year growth rate for retail trade. The usual importance of the green slice is notable; this “non-specialised stores” segment includes supermarkets and convenience stores.

The disruption of the pandemic period is readily apparent. The post-pandemic world of higher inflation can also be seen. And compared to the pre-pandemic period, a higher contribution comes from automotive fuel stations, indicating how higher energy prices are impacting drivers.