The manufacturing sector in Japan bounced up into expansion territory in January, the latest survey from S&P Global revealed on Monday with a manufacturing PMI score of 51.5. That’s up from 50.0 in December, which marked stagnation as being right non the line that separates expansion from contraction. Helping to push the headline PMI back […]
Last week delivered yet another reminder that volatility has become a feature this year, rather than an exception. Sudden repricing episodes continue to emerge, often driven by political and institutional developments rather than changes in economic fundamentals. The latest bout of turbulence was triggered by market repricing around the nomination of former Fed Governor Kevin
US President Donald Trump today finally named former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair, bringing an end to a prolonged and unusually turbulent succession process. Trump praised Warsh publicly, calling him a future “great” Fed chairman and signaling confidence in his leadership. The announcement removed a major overhang for markets
Dollar is consolidating within a narrow range today, reflecting a temporary balance between supportive near-term developments and persistent longer-term headwinds. Volatility has subsided, but price action lacks the conviction typical of a durable turnaround. A sharp pullback in precious metals has played a key role in easing pressure on the greenback. Gold has retreated below
Yen once again took center stage, staging a broad-based rally that gathered pace through the Asian session. USD/JPY dived below 154, a sharp reversal from last week’s run toward 160 — a level widely perceived by markets as Japan’s informal line in the sand. The move gained traction as Japanese assets reacted in tandem. Nikkei
Relentless geopolitics has continued to haunt global markets since the turn of the year, and last week offered little respite. What has changed, however, is not the scale of the headlines but the market’s tolerance for them. Investors appear increasingly fatigued by policy uncertainty and abrupt reversals from the US, where confidence has become harder
Yen’s sharp rebound today, triggered by suspected official intervention, is already fading quickly, highlighting the market’s skepticism toward one-off defensive actions. After an abrupt spike higher, the currency quickly lost momentum as traders faded the move. The development is inline with the view that government action alone is insufficient to reverse the broader bearish trend.
The manufacturing sector in Japan expanded in January, the latest survey from Jibun Bank revealed on Friday with a manufacturing PMI score of 51.5. That’s up from 50.0 in December, which was right on the boom-or-bust line that separates expansion from contraction. The report also showed that the services PMI improved to 53.4 from 51.6
Greenland dominated global headlines today as geopolitical risk surged back into focus. What had previously looked like an unusual diplomatic dispute escalated sharply over the weekend, forcing markets, governments, and corporates to reassess transatlantic relations and the risk of renewed trade war. The escalation followed a pledge by US President Donald Trump to impose 10%
The value of core machinery orders in Japan was down a seasonally adjusted 11.0 percent on month in November, the Cabinet Office said on Monday – coming in at 883.9 billion yen. That was well shy of expectations for a decline of 5.2 percent following the 7.0 percent increase in October. On a yearly basis,
Yen is once again attempting to recover from its recent sharp losses, with momentum this time supported by a more forceful policy backdrop. Japanese authorities have stepped up verbal intervention, and crucially, officials have gone beyond routine warnings and have explicitly flagged the possibility of joint action with the US. Additionally, combined with speculation of
Yen recovered broadly today after Japan delivered its strongest verbal intervention in months, temporarily slowing the currency’s slide. The shift in tone came as USD/JPY neared 160, its strongest level since July 2024, prompting officials to push back more forcefully against what they described as excessive moves. Crucially, the rhetoric was aimed at speed and
“Takaichi trade” remained the dominant theme in markets today. Nikkei added nearly 1.5% on the day, pushing to yet another record high as Japanese driven by expectations that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government will pursue expansionary fiscal policies and pro-growth reforms after the speculated snap election. Yen selloff extended earlier in the session, but momentum
The M2 money stock in Japan was up 1.7 percent on year in December, the Bank of Japan said on Wednesday – coming in at 1,278.6 trillion yen. That was shy of expectations for an increase of 1.9 percent but steady from the November reading following a downward revision from 1.8 percent. The M3 money
Dollar gyrates in a tight range and remains an underperformer for the week, showing little reaction to December US consumer inflation data. With no meaningful downside surprise in the data, inflation figures effectively cemented expectations for a policy hold by the Fed at its upcoming meeting. Futures now assign around 95% probability that interest rates
Yen came under renewed and intense pressure during Asian session, as domestic equities surged more than 3% to new record highs following the market reopening. The catalyst behind the equity rally — and Yen’s decline — remains growing conviction that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is preparing to call a snap general election in February.
News of a US criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell dominated global financial headlines, injecting a fresh dose of political risk into markets. While the investigation itself was unsettling, the sharper jolt came from Powell’s unusually direct response, which framed the episode as part of a broader campaign to pressure the central bank. In
