Japanese shares rose on Friday as the Bank of Japan is expected to hold rates in March, with most economists seeing a 25-basis-point hike to 0.75% in July.
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.84%, or 310.82 points, to end at 37,100.85.
A Reuters poll showed about 70% of economists expect the Bank of Japan to raise rates to 0.75% in the third quarter, likely in July, up from 65% in February.
Nearly 90% foresee negative effects on Japan's economy from US President Donald Trump's tariff policies.
Markets are pricing in a quarter-point hike by September or October, with a 25% chance of another increase by year-end. Wage gains and food price inflation could prompt an earlier hike as soon as May.
The median year-end rate forecast remains at 0.75%, with 1% projected by March 2026.
On the corporate front, Melco Holdings (TYO:6676) will acquire 800,000 Secure shares at 1,819 yen each for 1.46 billion yen through a third-party allotment on March 3, securing a 14.35% stake.
Shionogi & Co (TYO:4507) said its antiviral ensitrelvir cut symptomatic COVID-19 risk by 67% in a Phase 3 trial of 2,041 household contacts. Ensitrelvir, branded Xocova in Japan and Singapore, holds FDA Fast Track status and is under review in Taiwan.
Toho Co. (TYO:8142) posted a 24.4% rise in full-year profit to 4.49 billion yen, with EPS up to 416.92 yen. Sales rose 0.6% to 246.5 billion yen, while operating profit fell 4.1% to 7.50 billion yen on higher costs.
Source: Bloomberg
Japanese stocks rose in early trading on hopes of easing US-China trade tensions ahead of next week's summit. The Nikkei index rose 0.8% to 49,021.37, signaling positive sentiment across the market. ...
Japanese stocks weakened on Thursday as new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi prepared for challenging, major budget negotiations. The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.24%, or 94.09 points, to close at 38,814.56. ...
Japanese stocks are lower following their recent surge driven by hopes for newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic measures. The market is also weighed by continuing U.S.-China trade te...
The Nikkei 225 closed nearly flat on Wednesday (October 22nd), hovering around 49,308 (-0.02%), after a rally to its previous record triggered profit-taking—particularly in technology stocks—leading t...
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average is down 0.7% at 48988.23, dragged by chip and metals stocks, as profit-taking kicks in following their recent surge. SoftBank Group is down 8.3%, Advantest is 2.8% lower w...
The US dollar is moving steadily upward, still on track for a slight increase for the week. The market is awaiting the release of the delayed US inflation figures, and most market participants believe this data is unlikely to derail the Fed's plan...
Silver fell on Friday, October 24, 2025. Spot prices moved in the range of $48-49 per troy ounce, slightly weakening from the previous day after significant volatility earlier this week—even falling sharply after hitting a new record above...
The Hong Kong stock exchange opened in the green. The Hang Seng Index rose early in the session, followed by gains in the technology index and mainland Chinese stocks. The market mood this morning was clearly positive. The main drivers were the...
According to a poll by Reuters, 115 of 117 economists have predicted that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will reduce interest rates by 25 basis points...
The Fed will meet on October 28-29, 2025. This meeting is crucial because the market still considers the possibility of an interest rate cut, but...
The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on October 1 after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement to extend funding...
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will head to Malaysia on Wednesday to meet with Chinese...