Both cyclical and structural trends in trade are worrying for Japan.
FORBES: Mounting Japan Trade Deficits Raise Urgency of TPP, Japan-China-Korea, and Asean+6 Trade Talks
2.
If and when oil exports and trade imbalances next reach a cyclical peak, it may make sense to park surpluses in low-risk assets until the boom subsides.
ECONOMIST: The flows are neither as big nor as scary as they once seemed
3.
Doorstep lending, or home credit as it is termed by the trade, is a counter-cyclical business: in a downturn, bad debts pile up, blackening credit histories.
ECONOMIST: New competition means doorstep lenders are in trouble