A major global central bank would never hike rates during a prolonged recession, would it? You might be surprised to find out the answer is a solid, yes. Not only did it just happen, the reasons why tell us a whole lot about the real aim of central bank policies, where they come from, and, more important of all, the status of our globally synchronized world. The cycle drama just got taken up a notch. Eurodollar University's Money & Macro AnalysisBloomberg Japan’s Economy Sputters as Dismal Run Extends to Three Quartershttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-15/japan-s-economy-contracts-as-consumers-companies-cut-spendingReuters Japan's economy skids, clouding BOJ's rate hike planshttps://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/japans-gdp-contracts-complicating-bojs-rate-hike-plans-2024-05-16/Reuters Japan's finmin says 'speculative' moves in currency market impacting yenhttps://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/japans-finance-minister-sees-speculative-moves-currency-market-2024-04-01/Investing.com Japan GDP shrinks more than expected in Q1 as consumption slowshttps://www.investing.com/news/economic-indicators/japan-gdp-shrinks-more-than-expected-in-q1-as-consumption-slows-3443154https://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU