Breaking News: Asia
Japan stocks set to rise while Aussie market opens higher, as Wall Street rises
Crowded and busy Ameyoko shopping street in Tokyo, Japan Visualspace | E+ | Getty Images Japan stocks were set to rise Friday after Wall Street rose overnight as investors assessed Big Tech earnings. Futures for Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 in Chicago were at 39,715, while their counterpart in Osaka last traded at 39,580, against the […]
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China PMI surprises as factory activity contracts in January; December industrial profits jump
Workers produce garments for export to overseas markets at Sihong Guoshun Garment Co., Ltd. in Weiying town, Sihong County, Suqian city, East China’s Jiangsu province, on January 23, 2025.. Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images China’s factory activity in January unexpectedly contracted, reversing the expansionary momentum in the past three months, partly due to a […]
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Bank of Japan hikes policy rates by 25 basis points to highest since 2008
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda responds to questions during a Governors talk on Japanese inflation and monetary policy at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group 2024 Fall Meeting in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2024. Kaylee Greenlee Beal | Reuters The Bank of Japan hiked rates by 25 basis points Friday […]
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Asia-Pacific markets track Wall Street gains as Trump pushes for rate cuts
Osaka, Japan. Jiale Tan | Moment | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets climbed Friday, after the S&P 500 hit record highs on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates and cheaper oil prices. Japan’s core inflation rate rose to a 16-month high at 3% in December, year on year, boosting the case […]
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Singapore eases monetary policy for the first time since 2020, warns of growth slowdown
The Monetary Authority of Singapore building in Singapore. Wei Leng Tay | Bloomberg | Getty Images Singapore on Friday loosened its monetary policy for the first time since 2020, citing a faster than expected decline in inflation and warning about a growth slowdown. The Monetary Authority of Singapore said it would slightly reduce the slope […]
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South Korea fourth-quarter GDP grows at its slowest pace in six quarters, missing expectations
The Seoul skyline. Mongkol Chuewong | Moment | Getty Images South Korea’s economy expanded 1.2% year on year in the fourth quarter, marking its slowest expansion since the second quarter of 2023. Advance figures missed the 1.4% expansion expected by economists polled by Reuters, and the growth was also softer compared with the 1.5% rise […]
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China keeps benchmark lending rates unchanged as it contends with a weakening yuan
The central bank of the People’s Republic of China is responsible for formulating and implementing monetary policies, preventing and defusing financial risks and maintaining financial stability. Peng Song | Moment | Getty Images China left its benchmark lending rates unchanged Monday, as Beijing contends with a weakening yuan while awaiting policy clues from the incoming […]
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China’s fourth-quarter GDP grows at 5.4%, beating market expectations as stimulus measures kick in
Railway builders erect a box girder at the site of the standard project in front of the Huning section of the Shanghai-Nanjing-Hefei high-speed railway in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China, on January 10, 2025. Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images China’s economy expanded by 5% year on year in 2024, with an upswing in the final […]
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Asia-Pacific markets track Wall Street gains; South Korea unexpectedly keeps rates unchanged
People walk inside the Korea Exchange (KRX) building, as stock markets in Asia as a whole have been affected by the intensifying political turmoil over president Yoon Suk Yeol’s role in martial law, in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 9, 2024. Daniel Ceng | Anadolu | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets climbed Thursday, after U.S. markets […]
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Bank of Korea leaves rates unchanged at 3% in a surprise move
The Bank of Korea (BOK) in Seoul on Dec. 28, 2024. Kim Jae-Hwan | Lightrocket | Getty Images South Korea’s central bank Thursday held its benchmark policy rate at 3% in a surprise move, having delivered two back-to-back cuts in its previous meetings amid a slowing economy. Economists polled by Reuters had estimated a 25-basis-point […]
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