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Nikkei within reach of all-time high, dollar finds its footing

Japan's Nikkei closed at another 34year peak on Friday, assisted greater by a resilient Wall Street, while the dollar found its footing after a big fall in U.S. retail sales revived possibilities of a June rate cut.

The rally in Asia is set to reach Europe, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures up 0.5%. Nasdaq futures increased 0.2% and S&P 500 futures were flat.

The of the all-time high of 38,957 points, struck in 1989. The index is up 4.3% for the week, the third straight week of gains, bringing the year-to-date gains to an incredible 15%.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan increased 0.9%, helped by a 2.6% dive in Hong Kong's Hang Seng index after returning from the Lunar New Year holidays. The index was up 1.9% for the week.

Mainland China remained closed on Friday.

Bank of Japan Guv

Kazuo Ueda

said on Friday that financial policy would more than likely stay accommodative, even after ending unfavorable rate of interest, echoing recent reassurances from BOJ officials that have actually weighed on the yen.

The yen eased 0.2% on Friday to 150.26 per dollar , back above the vital 150 level that might draw possible Japanese intervention to slow the currency's declines.

The dollar/yen has sort of consolidated around the 150 level, so that's supplying support (to Nikkei). There's the corporate reform still going through, so the exporters will continue to succeed, stated Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG.

Figures on Thursday showed that Japan and Britain slipped into economic crisis at the end of in 2015, and U.S. retail sales last month fell much more than expected. But the result of that might be reasonably looser monetary policy.

I believe the demand photo is certainly beginning to fracture in some of the industrialized market economies, stated Sycamore. So it does bring forward the concept of rate cuts.

Overnight, information showed the U.S. retail sales fell by 0.8% in January, the sharpest drop in 10 months.

Markets moved to completely price in a rate cut from the Federal Reserve in June, reversing a few of the price action after a. stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation report triggered traders to. give up bets for early rate relief.

That cheered Wall Street, with the S&P 500 acquiring. 0.6%, the Nasdaq Composite up 0.30% and Dow Jones. Industrial Average firming 0.9%.

The repositioning in rate of interest expectations weighed on. the dollar, however it rebounded 0.1% to 104.41 versus its peers on. Friday, after losing 0.4% overnight.

Treasury yields bounced after dipping over night. The. yield on benchmark 10-year notes increased 2 basis points. at 4.2576%, after slipping 3 basis points over night. It was. still up 8 basis points for the week.

Traders are awaiting produce cost information later on in the day. for more clues on Fed policy.

Oil rates were mixed on Friday after jumping the previous. session. The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday. flagged slowing need development this year.

Brent relieved 0.1% to $82.81, while U.S. crude. edged 0.1% higher to $78.12 per barrel.

The area gold price was flat at $2,003.09.

(source: Reuters)