Japanese shares ended higher on Thursday as investors awaited a key US jobs report and the outcome of a major tax and spending bill in Congress, both seen as potential triggers for Fed rate cuts.
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.06%, or 23.42 points, to end at 39,785.90.
Investors awaited a House vote in the US on Trump's $3.3 trillion tax and spending bill, which would cut taxes, reduce social programs, and raise the national debt.
The focus also remained on US payrolls data due later in the day, with forecasts calling for a 110,000 job gain and unemployment rising to 4.3%.
A surprise drop in private sector jobs has heightened market sensitivity to the report. Still, Fed officials cite labor market strength as a reason to delay rate cuts, with futures pricing in just a 25% chance of a July move.
In economic data, Japan's services sector grew for a third month in June, with the PMI rising to 51.7 from 51.0, supported by stronger demand and hiring, S&P Global said Thursday.
Business confidence hit a four-month high, while input cost inflation eased slightly. Output prices rose at the fastest pace in 14 months.
The Composite PMI rose to 51.5, the highest since February, as services and factory output improved.
Source: MTN newswires
Japanese shares closed lower on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan signaled room for future rate hikes but gave no clear sign of an October move. The Nikkei 225 fell 0.25%, or 111.12 points, to end at 4...
Japanese stocks are lower due to a stronger yen and uncertainty over the impact of U.S. tariffs on corporate earnings. Auto, shipping and energy stocks lead declines. Mitsubishi Motors is down 2.1% an...
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.69% to 45,044 while the broader Topix Index sank 1.74% to 3,132 on Monday, extending losses for a second day as many Japanese stocks traded ex-dividend and investors braced...
The Japanese stock market opened lower at the start of this week. The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.8% to 45,009.28, dragged down by a sell-off in high-dividend stocks that began trading ex-dividend today. ...
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.80%. The best...
Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee noted on Tuesday that "short" government shutdowns tend to have a limited impact on the broader economy. The statements come at a time when the US government is barreling into a...
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei in two weeks, Argentina said on Tuesday, as Milei seeks to clinch a credit swap line from the U.S. that has rankled some Republicans as the South American nation...
The dollar fell on Tuesday following softer-than-expected economic data, as investors awaited a likely U.S. government shutdown that could disrupt the release of the monthly nonfarm payrolls report this week. Government funding expires at midnight...
Federal Reserve (Fed Bank of New York President John C. Williams hit the newswires on Monday, expressing his general cautiousness toward further...
The U.S. on Monday cracked down on companies in China and other countries that use subsidiaries or other foreign affiliates to get around curbs on...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday with focus on the Reserve Bank of Australia's interest rate decision later in the day.
The RBA is...
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday, while the Reserve Bank of Australia will kickstart its two-day policy meeting where it is expected to hold...