Japan's Nikkei stock index rose 0.9% to 49,443.48 in the latest trading session, following a positive rally on Wall Street overnight. The rise was fueled by lower-than-expected US inflation data, raising investor expectations that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates next year. Chris Beauchamp, an analyst at IG, said investors want to see data supporting the Fed's case for a rate cut. However, he also highlighted the risk that uncertainty about price trends could dampen market optimism about further rate cuts. In the Japanese stock market, several leading companies posted significant...
Japanese stocks fell after the yen strengthened as much as 1% against the dollar overnight and US technology shares slumped. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 2% as of 9:12 a.m. in Tokyo, while the broader Topix slipped 1.3%. Exporters such as automakers and technology companies were among the heaviest drags on the Topix. The yen reached a one-week high of 151.79 per dollar, after jumping as much as 1% on Thursday. Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Thursday that currency markets have had a major impact on the economy, pointing to another potential...
Asia-Pacific markets are set for a mixed open on Friday, after Wall Street benchmarks the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 posted their worst day in nearly two months on a downbeat Microsoft earnings forecast and MetaTrader results. Traders await a raft of economic data from the region, including Australia's third-quarter producer price index reading and China's Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index for October. Japan's Nikkei 225 appears set for a weaker open, with futures in Chicago at 38,470 and its Osaka counterpart at 38,370 against the index's last close of...