EUR/USD
1.15906
0.046%
Gold
4459.35
0.027%
Oil
83.659
1.144%
USD/JPY
160.002
-0.046%
GBP/USD
1.35396
0.013%
GBP/JPY
216.641
-0.024%
Real-time News
The yield on Japans two-year government bonds rose 0.5 basis points to 1.73%, the highest level since April 1995.Tensions in the Middle East escalated again over the weekend, causing a surge in crude oil prices this morning, which is expected to support a higher market opening this week. If the situation in the Middle East continues with both peace talks and conflict, the market is likely to continue consolidating at high levels this week.SoftBank Group shares fell about 4.8%, and Tokyo Electron shares fell more than 4%.On August 31st, Japans industrial production rose 0.1% month-on-month in July, better than the expected 0.7% decline; retail sales rose 2.4% month-on-month and 4% year-on-year, both significantly exceeding expectations. Manufacturers expect industrial production to grow by 6.4% in August, followed by a 4.2% decline in September. The much stronger-than-expected industrial production data mitigated some short-term downside risks priced into the markets assessment of Japans economic growth prospects. The sharp rebound in retail sales, both month-on-month and year-on-year, indicates that consumer spending performed better than suggested by the decline in June. This is significant for the Bank of Japans ongoing discussion on whether domestic demand can continue to drive inflation. The manufacturers survey indicates that industrial production is expected to grow strongly by 6.4% in August, but will decline significantly in September, suggesting that the current strong performance may be partly due to advance production or a rebound after a previous decline, rather than a genuine acceleration of the industrial cycle. According to the US financial website InvestingLive, combined with US Treasury Secretary Bessants recent remarks that the pace of interest rate hikes is effectively left to Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, the resilience of economic growth and consumption further weakens the reasons for the Bank of Japan to postpone further tightening of its policy.The Nikkei 225 index opened down 731.46 points, or 1.10%, at 65,674.10 on Monday, August 31.
