Nikkei Dips As Market Braces For Trump Trade Moves And Central Bank Meetings
Japanese shares ended lower on Friday as investors booked profits after recent gains, ahead of a key week featuring U.S. tariff decisions and central bank meetings.
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.88%, or 370.11 points, to end at 41,456.23.
Next week, investors face a packed U.S. agenda with Trump's August 1 trade deadline, a Fed policy meeting, payrolls data, and earnings from Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.
Japan's central bank also meets Thursday, the same day Prime Minister Ishiba's LDP holds a meeting. The European Central Bank, meanwhile, held rates steady this week, awaiting clarity on U.S. tariffs.
In economic data, Tokyo's inflation slowed in July, with the headline CPI rising 2.9%, down from 3.1% in June, marking the lowest rate since February, data from Japan's Statistics Bureau showed Friday.
Core CPI, excluding fresh food, also rose 2.9% year-on-year, easing from 3.1%. Processed food prices climbed 7.4%, up from 7.2%, while rent continued to rise steadily at 2.1%.
On the corporate front, Japan Post Insurance (TYO:7181) reported unrealized losses of 2.487 trillion yen on its bond portfolio as of June 30, driven by declines in "held-to-maturity" and "policy-reserve-matching" securities, a Friday filing showed.
The losses equaled 1,460.6% of its ordinary profit and 2,014.5% of net income for fiscal 2024.
Renesas Electronics (TYO:6723) booked a 235 billion yen loss in the six months to June 30, linked to a deposit with Wolfspeed Inc. after the U.S. firm filed for bankruptcy. The figure was slightly below the 250 billion yen Renesas had initially flagged.
Metaplanet (TYO:3350) said it will set up a U.S. holding company in Florida and transfer all shares of Metaplanet Treasury Corp., worth $715.5 million, to the new unit via an in-kind contribution.
The restructure supports its Bitcoin treasury strategy and adds flexibility for planned derivatives operations.
Source: MT Newswires
