Investors are positioning for a decisive election victory by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, betting that a strong mandate will allow her to consolidate power and push expansive fiscal policies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/05/markets/stock-bets-on-big-takaichi-win/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #stocks #japaneseeconomy #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection
South Korea’s efforts to stabilize its currency face a major obstacle at home — the record appetite of its retail investors for U.S. stocks that is fueling dollar demand as the won languishes at 17-year lows. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/05/markets/korea-fx-stability-wall-street-mania/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #southkorea #forex #stocks
Japan’s long experiment with massive government debt and suppressed interest rates is unraveling as inflation returns, bond yields rise and the yen weakens. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/japan/japan-bond-markets-warning-for-america/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #bonds #markets #fed #boj #inflation #monetarypolicy #japaneseeconomy #useconomy
Investors are stepping up bold wagers on Hungary’s stocks, bonds and currency amid the possibility of opposition party Tisza beating veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/04/hungary-trade-orban-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #hungary #viktororban #markets
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed at a new high in Tokyo as strong earnings from the tech and finance sectors drove up optimism, and as a recovery in gold prices revived risk appetite across Asia. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/03/markets/nikkei-close-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #japaneseeconomy #nikkei #topix #tech #banks #ai
The yen slid Monday after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a weak currency can be a major opportunity for export industries, cooling speculation that her government is poised to intervene to support the yen. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/02/markets/yen-drops-japan-pm-takaichi-remark/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #yen #dollar #forex #japaneseeconomy #sanaetakaichi
Black pork, known for its fattier and more tender texture, is finding favor in China and proving a lifeline for the country's beleaguered pork producers. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/02/markets/western-pork-china-black-pigs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #pork #china
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has talked up the benefits of a weaker yen in a speech, adopting a tone at odds with the Finance Ministry, which has refused to rule out countering excessive foreign exchange volatility. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/01/markets/sanae-takaichi-weaker-yen/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #sanaetakaichi #yen #japaneseeconomy #financeministry #2026lowerhouseelection
Japan has managed to secure breathing space for the yen without intervening in markets this month, an indication of short-term success for modified tactics that lean heavily on the U.S. fear factor. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/31/markets/japan-yen-breathing-room/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #japaneseeconomy #yen #sanaetakaichi #us
The leader of one of Japan’s biggest business groups representing smaller firms called on the government to take more action on currencies, warning that the weak yen is squeezing smaller companies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/30/markets/business-leader-yen-rate/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #bankofjapan #yen #dollar #forex #wages #jobs
The extraordinary run-up in gold prices has brought unexpected windfalls to millions of Vietnamese, but it has also made traditional wedding gifts unaffordable and all but ended the informal gold mortgage system. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/30/markets/vietnam-soaring-gold-crushing-weight/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #vietnam #gold #debt #banks
Traders are questioning how effective Japan could be if it were to intervene alone to support the yen, after Scott Bessent cast doubt on the prospect of coordinated action. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/29/markets/japan-solo-intervention-ineffective/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #boj #yen #dollar #japaneseeconomy #financeministry #scottbessent
Coordinated intervention chatter changes the bet on the yen as the U.S., in theory, has unlimited dollars at its disposal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/27/markets/coordinated-yen-intervention/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #yen #sanaetakaichi #us #forex
The yen has gained amid broad weakness in the dollar as traders remained on heightened alert over Japanese intervention to halt the currency’s recent slide. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/26/markets/yen-extends-gains-dollar-pressure/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #yen #forex #currencies #bonds
Japanese shares’ ascent to record highs at the start of the year has reinforced a Fidelity International fund manager’s preference for smaller AI-related companies that still look affordable. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/26/markets/fidelity-fund-ai-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #stocks #topix #ai #fujibo
Canada won’t be derailed in its efforts to diversify trade away from the U.S. despite the latest threats from the Trump administration, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/26/markets/canada-trade-pivot-energy-india/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #canada #india #trade #markcarney #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans
From the start of the year, Japanese stocks surged on bets that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would cement power through a snap election and then ramp up spending. Then on Tuesday, the so-called Takaichi trade unraveled. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/24/markets/japan-bond-market-stock-bulls/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #jgbs #stocks #japaneseeconomy #sanaetakaichi
The yen abruptly staged its biggest one-day surge since August on speculation that Japanese authorities could be preparing to mount a market intervention to halt the currency’s slide. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/24/markets/yen-jumps-intervention-speculation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #yen #currencies #sanaetakaichi #us
Japanese financial authorities are watching currency movements with a sense of urgency, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Friday, after a moment of yen volatility that transpired more than an hour earlier. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/23/markets/katayama-yen-rate-urgency/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #yen #dollar #forex #boj #financeministry #satsukikatayama #inflation #sanaetakaichi
The Bank of Japan has left rates unchanged ahead of a February election after raising them last month to 0.75% from 0.5%. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/23/markets/boj-meeting-jan-2026/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #japaneseeconomy #kazuoueda #us #boj #economicindicators #jgb #bonds