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 44,932.63. One BOJ board member said it may be time to raise rates, while others urged caution given uncertainty over the US economy, a Sept. 18-19 meeting summary showed. The record signaled growing support for another hike amid high inflation, though most members preferred waiting for more data. Two dissents against holding rates stoked October hike bets, but the summary stopped short of...
The Nikkei 225 Index shed 0.05% to close at 40,655 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.4% to 2,920 on Wednesday, with Japanese shares struggling for clear direction as investors braced for the latest Bank of Japan monetary policy decision. The central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Thursday amid uncertainty over the economic fallout from recent US tariffs. However, the central bank is likely to raise its inflation forecast in its quarterly outlook, reflecting ongoing price pressures. Investors also weighed prospects of another extension to the tariff truce...
Hong Kong stocks fell for the second session, down 46 points or 0.2% to 25,469 on Wednesday morning, after U.S.-China trade talks ended without a meaningful breakthrough. While extending the current tariff truce remains possible, Treasury Secretary Bessent said President Trump will have the final say. Caution also prevailed ahead of the Fed's rate decision later today, with analysts noting most Fed officials prefer to wait and assess the inflationary impact of tariffs before acting, especially with Trump's August 1 tariff deadline looming. Tech shares led the fall, followed by consumers...
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average is flat at 40681.72, as gains in electronics and brokerage shares offset declines in auto and pharmaceutical stocks. NEC Corp. is up 6.4% and Daiwa Securities Group is higher by 2.7%, while Honda Motor is down 1.7% and Chugai Pharmaceutical falls 1.2%. USD/JPY is at 148.27, compared with 148.25 as of Tuesday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing on quarterly earnings as well as any domestic political developments. Source: Marketwatch
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick affirmed that President Donald Trump's upcoming Friday deadline to impose major tariffs on a slew of trading partners will not be delayed further. However, Lutnick noted that trade negotiations with China are progressing on a separate timeline, he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was flat at the open, while the Topix inched higher 0.1%. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.48%, and the small-cap Kosdaq rose 0.42%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.19%. Source: CNBC
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) softened on Tuesday, falling back for a second straight day as bullish-prone equity markets pivot into a defensive stance ahead of the latest interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve (Fed). A raft of key United States (US) economic data is stuffing the chute through the rest of the week, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP), US Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index (PCE) inflation, and the latest Nonfarm Payrolls report. The Dow Jones slipped back below 44,800, shedding around 200 points and backsliding four-tenths of one percent on the...