Nikkei Strengthens, But There's a Shadow Behind It
The Nikkei 225 closed today with a slight increase of +0.26% to 49,512.28. Fundamentally, the Japanese market is in a tug-of-war between positive domestic sentiment and interest rate concerns. On the one hand, Japanese export data is strong (supportive for global-oriented stocks), but on the other hand, the market is increasingly convinced that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates this week—this usually strengthens the yen and can pressure exporter stocks.
Additional pressures come from less than ideal industrial activity indicators and fiscal issues: factory activity/machinery orders indicators weakened, while concerns about government spending and rising JGB yields also contributed to more cautious sentiment. So it's understandable that the final close was only slightly higher—the market is likely awaiting confirmation from the Bank of Japan and the next round of global data. (az)
Source: Newsmaker.id
