Japanese stocks rallied in recent trading, led by the machinery and electronics sector, which benefited from a weaker yen. Kawasaki Heavy Industries shares rose around 3.4%, while Tokyo Electron Ltd. gained 2.1%. In the foreign exchange market, the USD/JPY pair hovered around 155.83, up from 155.26 at the Tokyo stock market close on Monday, making Japanese exporters' shares more attractive. Investors are now focused on the release of economic data ahead of next week's Bank of Japan (BoJ) policy meeting, which could provide clues to the direction of interest rates and monetary policy going...
Asian stocks weakened in Tuesday's trading as market participants began to worry about the direction of the Fed's future policy easing, not just the near-certain interest rate cut this week. The MSCI Asia Index fell around 0.2%, with Korean, Japanese, and Australian markets opening lower. Meanwhile, US stock futures actually gained slightly after the S&P 500 fell 0.3% on Monday and US bond yields rose, in line with the decline in global bond prices. Australian bond yields also rose ahead of the local central bank's interest rate decision. The main market focus is the Fed's decision on...
Hong Kong stocks opened lower on Tuesday, with the Hang Seng Index falling around 196 points, or 0.8%, to 25,565, extending its decline for a second session. Sentiment was weighed down by concerns that the US Federal Reserve might make a "hawkish cut" on Wednesday, lowering interest rates while signaling a possible pause in cuts in January. The benchmark index briefly touched a two-week low as investors cautiously awaited the release of China's November inflation (CPI) and producer price (PPI) data, due on Wednesday. However, selling pressure was somewhat mitigated after China's Politburo...