Nikkei

US interest rate expectations are becoming increasingly influential on Japan’s Nikkei 225, both through the FX channel impacting forecasts for exporter earnings and sentiment towards the outlook for global economic growth. Other factors, such as commentary from BOJ, come across as secondary factors for now.

Shinichi Uchida, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), says the bank won’t hike interest rates when markets are unstable, delivering a clear message on what traders need to do to prevent them doing so again: create volatility.

I don’t blame traders for panicking in markets like these. There’s so much noise and so much hysteria, usually accompanied by countless charts resembling waterfalls. But one thing experience brings you is the ability to step back and look at the things that matter to gauge whether the panic is justified.

Wall Street’s post-NFP selloff was fully embraced in Asia, with the Nikkei plunging double digits, dragging USD/JPY to a 7-month low and AUD/USD falling over 2% in less than an hour.

If the Nikkei 225 outlook is a function of moves in the Japanese yen due to the impact on exporter earnings, what should traders monitor to gauge when USD/JPY may bottom? Because right now, the risk-off tone in FX is flowing through to equities, feeding upon one other to create an ugly snowball effect in Japanese markets.

Thursday’s Wall Street selloff has been fully embraced by the Nikkei in today’s Asian session, which sank to a 5-month low due to risk-off trade and a stronger yen.

You don’t see unwinds of Japanese yen carry trades like we’re seeing right now outside of crisis periods. It doesn’t feel like we’re in a crisis, making me wonder just how long the current bearish move will last?

NZD/USD looks terrible on the charts, weighed down by the RBNZ’s dovish pivot and renewed concerns towards the outlook for the Chinese economy. While that cyclical play looks ill, a bounce in Nikkei 225 futures has provide a decent long setup into US tech earnings.

The Nikkei has been grinding higher in recent weeks, but with momentum turning lower at resistance and asset managers are increasing longs, perhaps it's ready for a leg or two lower.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 faces an important technical test today, pushing back to towards a resistance zone it’s been unable to break for weeks. With risk appetite rampant and softer yen helping to juice the earnings outlook for exporters, if bulls can’t reclaim the ascendancy today, when will they ever?

Japan’s Nikki 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng have been like chalk and cheese coming out of the pandemic. As one surged, the other floundered. But the tide looks to be turning, and fast.

While the Nasdaq 100 has broken its 2024 uptrend, traders continue to buy the dip, generating a bullish signal on Thursday. That points to possible upside not only for US tech but also Japan’s Nikkei 225.

A historic day for Japanese markets with the Bank of Japan (BOJ) hiking interest rates for the first time since 2007, doing away with negative interest rates in the process. It’s now over to the Fed to drive the price action over the remainder of the week.

Recent price action in Nikkei 225 futures points to upside risks this week, indicating confidence among traders that even with major events such as rate decisions from the Bank of Japan and Federal Reserve, along with Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference, the bull market that helped propel the underlying index to record highs is anything but finished.

USD/JPY and Nikkei 225 futures have been heavily influenced by US bond yields recently, meaning Tuesday’s US consumer price inflation report looms as critical for how Japanese markets may fare over the short to medium term. The bias for all remains lower in the absence of another hot inflation number.

It was a lively session for equity traders in Asia on Thursday, with the Nikkei 225 and DAX futures hitting record highs. The Nikkei made its inevitable run to 39k and touched a record high, by a cat's whisker.

If there was ever a day for Japan’s Nikkei 225 to overcome its demons and take out the record high set in December 1989, few screen better than today. The ducks look to have lined up for bulls. If we can’t set a new peak, it may provide a subtle warning that the market has run too hard, too fast.