Japanese Shares Rise as Fed Hike Bets Ease

2026-09-04 00:32 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.6% to above 64,500 on Friday, snapping a four-day losing streak as traders scaled back expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike this month.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he would support keeping rates unchanged if price pressures continue to ease.

Meanwhile, markets are watching for a potential rate increase by the Bank of Japan at its September meeting to contain inflationary pressures.

Investors also continued to monitor sharp movements in the yen after the currency gained as much as 3% over two sessions.

Technology stocks led the rebound, with notable gains from Kioxia Holdings (1.8%), SoftBank Group (5.8%), and Fujikura (1.2%).

In contrast, financial and consumer stocks declined, including Mitsubishi UFJ (-1.1%) and Toyota Motor (-0.6%).

Still, the Nikkei is on track to fall more than 2% for the week as elevated oil prices and a recent rise in global bond yields weighed on equities during the period.



News Stream
Asian Stocks Rise as Fed Rate Hike Bets Cool
Asian equity markets advanced on Friday as traders scaled back expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike this month after Governor Christopher Waller said he would support keeping rates unchanged if price pressures continue to ease. Traders now see roughly even odds of a quarter-point Fed hike in September, down from about 70% earlier this week. Investors also continued to monitor sharp moves in the yen after the currency rallied strongly this week on expectations for more aggressive policy tightening by the Bank of Japan, while traders watched for signs of official intervention to support the Japanese currency. Shares in Japan, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong all gained, with technology stocks leading regional advances.
2026-09-04
Japanese Shares Rise as Fed Hike Bets Ease
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.6% to above 64,500 on Friday, snapping a four-day losing streak as traders scaled back expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike this month. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he would support keeping rates unchanged if price pressures continue to ease. Meanwhile, markets are watching for a potential rate increase by the Bank of Japan at its September meeting to contain inflationary pressures. Investors also continued to monitor sharp movements in the yen after the currency gained as much as 3% over two sessions. Technology stocks led the rebound, with notable gains from Kioxia Holdings (1.8%), SoftBank Group (5.8%), and Fujikura (1.2%). In contrast, financial and consumer stocks declined, including Mitsubishi UFJ (-1.1%) and Toyota Motor (-0.6%). Still, the Nikkei is on track to fall more than 2% for the week as elevated oil prices and a recent rise in global bond yields weighed on equities during the period.
2026-09-04
Japanese Shares Struggle as Yen Strengthens
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.17% to close at 64,214 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.5% to 4,102 in mixed trade on Thursday, with Japanese shares lacking clear direction as the yen strengthened sharply amid speculation that authorities had conducted a rate check. A stronger yen weighs on the earnings outlook for Japan’s export-heavy industries and makes domestic assets more expensive for foreign investors. Meanwhile, equities found some support from a pullback in oil prices after President Donald Trump said the latest attacks on Iran would be short-lived. Global bond yields also retreated from recent highs as investors continued to assess the inflation and interest rate outlook. Among individual stocks, notable losses were recorded in tech firms such as Advantest (-0.8%), Fujikura (-2.7%) and Ibiden Co (-2.4%), while financial stocks gained, including Mitsubishi UFJ (1.9%), Sumitomo Mitsui (1.7%) and Mizuho Financial (0.7%).
2026-09-03