Japan Financial News

The world is falling well short of a promise signed at global climate talks last year to triple the amount of wind power, according to research by an energy think tank released Thursday

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for September delivery rose 96 cents to $76.19 per barrel Thursday

U.S. stocks rallied to their best day since 2022 in Wall Street’s latest sharp swerve

Manulife Financial Corp.’s Asia business posted further gains, with strong insurance sales in Japan and Hong Kong, offsetting lower earnings in its U.S. division.

In the five-year period to 31 March 2024, all of the fund's share classes failed to outperform its benchmark by -10.8% per annum, according to the firm's latest Assessment of Value report.  The £164.4m fund's total returns were also down almost 15.9% over the last year and 46.7% over the previous three years, according to its factsheet. Franklin Templeton launches its first Japan index tracking ETF Franklin Templeton's board of directors noted the strategy had delivered strong returns for shareholders in the past – beating the benchmark in almost two thirds of the rolling five-year...

In a meeting held today (7 August) with local leaders in Hakodate, Uchida described the policy interest rate of 0.25% as «significantly low» and argued to continue monetary easing in accordance with the current rate due to «developments in financial and capital markets at home and abroad being extremely volatile». His statement came two days after the Japanese stock market suffered its largest one-day decline on Monday (5 August), amid investor fears that the US was heading for a recession. Japan's Nikkei 225 index nosedived at the time by almost 13%, having dropped 5.9% before the we...

Bitcoin (BTC), the world's largest cryptocurrency by market value, plunged to multi-month lows on Monday as concerns over a potential US recession, fueled by disappointing economic data, spurred a rush to safe-haven assets. As of 12:57 pm IST, Bitcoin was trading 13.3% lower at $52,586, having briefly dropped to $49,121 in early Asian trading hours.

Metaplanet Inc., a publicly traded Japanese company, announced it has secured a loan of one billion Japanese yen ($6.8 million) with an annual interest rate of 0.1% to acquire more Bitcoin.

ride-hailing drivers are facing the threat of job loss from artificial intelligence as robotaxis begin to proliferate. Self-driving technology, still experimental, is being aggressively greenlit in China compared to the US, where approvals are often suspended after accidents. At least 19 Chinese cities are testing robotaxis and robobuses, with seven cities approving tests without human-driver monitors from at least five industry leaders: Apollo Go, Pony.ai, WeRide, AutoX, and SAIC Motor. Apollo Go, a subsidiary of technology giant Baidu, plans to deploy 1,000 robotaxis in Wuhan by year-end and operate in 100 cities by 2030. Pony.ai, backed by Japan's Toyota Motor, operates 300 robotaxis with plans to increase to 1,000 by 2026. WeRide is known for autonomous taxis, vans, buses, and street sweepers, while AutoX, backed by Alibaba Group, operates in cities including Beijing and Shanghai. SAIC Motor has been operating robotaxis since 2021. In the US, Alphabet's Waymo operates uncrewed robotaxis that collect fares, with over 1,000 cars in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Cruise, backed by General Motors, resumed testing in April after an accident last year.

rupee rose marginally in early trading on Thursday, aided by gains in most Asian currencies, with dollar-rupee forward premiums also ticking up ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) monetary policy decision. The rupee was at 83.93 against the U.S. dollar as of 09:30 a.m. IST, compared with its previous close at 83.9550.

China's 7 million ride-hailing drivers. A 36-year-old Wuhan resident, he started driving part-time this year when construction work slowed in the face of a nationwide glut of unsold apartments. Now he predicts another crisis as he stands next to his car watching neighbours order driverless taxis. «Everyone will go hungry,» he said of Wuhan drivers competing against robotaxis from Apollo Go, a subsidiary of technology giant Baidu.

₹5.9 trillion, a record high. The previous such record was ₹5.49 trillion on 4 June, when the Bharatiya Janata Party's failure to win a simple majority in the Lok Sabha elections spooked investors. Bond yields plunged and stocks rose across markets after Wednesday's soothing words from the Bank of Japan, with the Nifty gaining 1.27% to close above the 24,000 mark at 24297.5, while the Sensex rallied 1.11% to 79,468.01.

global equity markets saw a relief rally following the Bank of Japan's assurance that it will not increase interest rates when the markets are unstable. NSE's Nifty rose 304.95 points, or 1.27%, to close at 24,297, whereas BSE's Sensex rose 874.94 points, or 1.11%, to end at 79,468.

Asian equity markets Thursday, extending the volatile trading of the past week as investors digest signals from central banks on the path ahead for interest rates. The Topix Index opened lower alongside benchmarks in Australia and South Korea. US futures also fell in early Asian trading Thursday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 dropped on Wednesday. The yen rose, having dropped 1.6% on Wednesday.

«The Nifty saw a relief rally today, but volatility cannot be ruled out. All eyes will be on RBI policy outcome on Thursday where the committee is expected to maintain the interest rate. Hence, interest-sensitive sectors and stocks would be in focus,» said Siddhartha Khemka, Head — Retail Research, Motilal Oswal.

Tuesday’s promising crypto market rebound fell flat on Wednesday, with most major cryptos trading in the red versus 24 hours ago per CoinMarketCap, and investors scouring altcoin markets in their hunt for top crypto performers today.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that a gear crack that led to a fatal crash of a V-22 Osprey last year may have been started by weak spots in a metal used to manufacture that part

In the face of economic uncertainty and Japan’s sustained low-interest rate environment, Bitcoin is drawing increased attention from investors seeking higher returns.

My Hero Academia" Chapter 430 was released on August 4. With the release of the latest chapter, «My Hero Academia» manga has ended its journey. Now fans are curious about the future of «My Hero Academia», as per a report on ScreenRant. It must be noted that «My Hero Academia» anime is not culminating. «My Hero Academia» season 7 is being streamed. There are reports about «My Hero Academia» season 8 which is likely to be released in 2025. Another «My Hero Academia» movie titled «You're Next» has been released in Japan. In US, the premier date is likely to be in October.

integrated check posts along the Indo-Bangladesh border following turmoil in neighbouring Bangladesh. The land custom stations at Golakganj and Mankachar in Assam were to be upgraded to integrated check posts while Sabroom land port, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March, was to start from August 14, on the eve of India's Independence Day, said officials. «Some land custom stations were selected for being developed as integrated check posts by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2021,» said officials, adding that both Mankachar and Golakganj are in Dhubri division of Assam. «Sabroom is the third land port after Agartala and Srimantapur in Tripura. It provides the northeastern region direct access to the Chittagong sea port in Bangladesh, which is 75 km away compared to the Kolkata/Haldia Port that is 1,700 km away,» they said.

Stocks climbed around the globe and bonds fell after the Bank of Japan moved to reassure markets in the wake of historic volatility sparked in part by the Asian nation’s unexpected rate hike last week.