Observe. Think. Chat. Do. Trade. Repeat…
In a move that reverberated across global financial markets, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) recently bid farewell to its negative interest rate policy – the last of its kind in the world. This decision marks a pivotal moment in the realm of central banking and has far-reaching implications for economies and investors worldwide. The Negative …
Continue reading “Bank of Japan ends negative rates: a seismic shift in monetary policy”
Japan’s inflation figures for April 2025 have revealed a continued rise in consumer prices, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbing 3.6% year-on-year. This marks a sustained period of inflation above the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) target of 2%, prompting speculation about potential interest rate hikes later in the year. Core inflation, which excludes fresh …
Continue reading “Japan’s core inflation rises to 3.5% – higher than expected”
Japan’s core inflation rate rose to 3% in February, exceeding market expectations of 2.9% This marks the 35th consecutive month that inflation has remained above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. While the figure is slightly lower than January’s 3.2%, it reflects persistent price pressures, driven by rising food and wage costs. Government subsidies for …
Continue reading “Japan’s inflation up 3% in February 2025 – interest rates expected to rise”
Japan’s economy showed modest growth in 2024 The economy expanded by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, which was higher than market expectations of 0.3%. However, for the full year, Japan’s GDP growth was just 0.1%, a significant slowdown from the 1.5% growth seen in 2023. Exports played a key role in boosting economic growth during …
Continue reading “Japan ekes out economic growth of 0.7% in 2024”
The Bank of Japan recently raised its interest rate by 25 basis points to 0.5%, marking the highest level since 2008 This decision was influenced by sustained inflation and rising wages, signalling a cycle in the economy. The move was expected by many economists and resulted in the Japanese yen strengthening against the dollar. The …
Continue reading “Japan increases interest rate chasing down rising inflation”
Bank of England holds UK interest rate at 5% Interest rates are “now gradually on the path down”, the Bank of England governor reportedly said after borrowing costs were held at 5%. He later reportedly remarked that inflation had “come down a long way” but warned the Bank would need to see more evidence that …
Continue reading “UK, Japan and China leave rates unchanged after jumbo U.S. cut”
Japan’s benchmark indices plummeted on Friday 2nd August 2024, with most Asia-Pacific markets lower after a sell-off on Wall Street created recession worries. The Nikkei 225 index plunged around 5.80% to close at 35909, its most significant fall since March 2020, dipping below the 36000 for the first time since January 2024. The Nikkei recently …
Continue reading “Asia markets fall as Japan’s Nikkei drops 5% to an 8-month low”
On Friday 28th June 2024, the Japanese yen dropped to its lowest point in 38 years, surpassing the 161 threshold against the dollar reached for the first time since December 1986. The yen has faced challenges, slipping beyond the 160 mark again. Since the Bank of Japan concluded its negative interest rate policy and reportedly …
Continue reading “Japanese yen slumps to fresh 38-year low against the U.S. dollar”
Arm, with a 90% holding by SoftBank, is reportedly set to establish an AI chip unit with the goal of developing a prototype by spring 2025. This initiative is aimed at catching up with the booming AI market, currently dominated by Nvidia. Arm, alongside competitors such as AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, is accelerating efforts to …
Continue reading “Arm reportedly to launch AI chips in 2025 as Softbank plan AI data centres”
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index briefly surpassed 41000, reaching a new all-time high on Friday 22nd March 2024, as the nation’s inflation rate reportedly accelerated in February 2024. Other Asia-Pacific markets experienced declines. The headline inflation rate in Japan for February 2024 was reported at 2.8%, an increase from the 2.2% recorded in January 2024. The …
Japan’s Nikkei 225 hit a record high of: 39098 on Thursday 22nd February 2024. The rally was propelled by electronics, banking and consumer stocks as robust earnings and investor-friendly measures fuel a blistering rally in Japanese equities. The Nikkei 225 jumped 2%, surpassing the previous record high of 38,915.87 reached in 1989. Standout performance Both the Nikkei …
Continue reading “Japan’s Nikkei crosses 39000 barrier for the first time”
After a decade-long bull run throughout the 1980’s, the Nikkei 225 index reached an all-time high of 38,915 on December 29, 1989, the last trading day of the year. Few could have imagined, on New Year’s Eve of 1989, that the index would be lower 34 years later. As the New Year arrived, the bubble burst. And …
Continue reading “Japan’s stock markets are on a tear but are the Zombies coming?”
Masayoshi Son says AI to surpass human intelligence and that SoftBank will ‘rule the world’. Oh dear…! Main points in brief Masayoshi Son and SoftBank The 66-year-old founded SoftBank, which still controls about 90% of Arm Holdings after the IPO, back in 1981 after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. Forbes estimates his net …
Japan’s economy beats expectations with 6% annualised growth in Q2 Japan’s economy posted its third straight quarterly expansion, latest government data showed 15th August 2023, as robust export growth contributed to an annualised 6% expansion in the second quarter, easily beating market expectations. Economists had reportedly expected the world’s third-largest economy to produce a 3.1% growth in …
Continue reading “Japan outperforms as GDP up 6% August 2023”
15 year high… and counting The Bank of England (BoE) announced another increase in its base rate, from 5% to 5.25%, the highest level in over 15 years as of 3rd August 2023. This is the 14th consecutive rise since December 2021, when the BoE started to tighten monetary policy in response to rising inflation. …
Continue reading “Bank of England raises interest rate by 0.25% to 5.25% – highest in the G7”
The U.S. bond market is experiencing some turbulence due to rising Treasury yields and concerns over government debt. Investors are demanding higher yields because they’re worried about the GOP’s tax-cut plans, which could lead to increased borrowing and a larger deficit. Additionally, the recent Trump tax bill has caused Treasury bond yields to surge, as …
Global markets have shown resilience in the past three days, rebounding from recent downturns as technology stocks rally amid cautious optimism. The boost in investor confidence follows strong earnings reports from major tech firms, highlighting their ability to weather economic uncertainty. However, lingering concerns about international trade tensions raise questions about how sustainable this recovery …
In a bold move to establish as a global leader in artificial intelligence, the United Kingdom is undertaking an ambitious initiative to develop a homegrown competitor to OpenAI. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance the nation’s computing infrastructure and foster innovation in AI technology. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration has committed …
Continue reading “The UK is planning to build a homegrown artificial intelligence rival to OpenAI”
UK chip designer Arm’s shares fell on Thursday 9th May 2024, subdued by revenue forecasts despite a strong sales quarter fueled by demand for AI applications. Arm announced a 47% increase in fiscal Q4 revenue to $928 million on Wednesday. This surge was propelled by its licensing business, which saw a 60% increase to $414 …
Forecasts indicate that the UK economy will experience sluggish growth among the largest developed nations in 2025. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has projected a 1% increase in the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2025, which lags behind the growth rates of other G7 nations, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan …
Continue reading “UK predicted to have slowest growth of richest nations in 2025”
The Magnificent Seven, or MAMA ANT, is a term coined by Bank of America to describe the seven most dominant tech companies in the world The Seven are: Microsoft, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, and Alphabet. These companies have not only led the tech sector in terms of innovation, growth, and profitability, but have …
Continue reading “Magnificent 7 company profits now exceed almost every country in the world”
This was the famous UK advertising slogan of a once famous and proud Japanese business that later fell from grace. It became a 1980’s advertising hit for Toshiba in the UK. There was a time when more than one of your TV’s, computers, laptop’s, Hi-Fi’s, speaker systems or other essential electronic goods would have been …
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization that monitors the health of the global economy and provides financial assistance to countries in need. UK interest rate warning from the IMF Peak at 6%! The IMF believes Bank of England rates will peak at 6% and stay around 5% until 2028. Rates are currently 5.25%.
India hosting the G20 summit The G20 summit will be held in New Delhi on 9th and 10th September 2023. This is the first time that India has hosted such a prestigious event, which brings together the leaders of the world’s 20 major economies with the exception of Russia. India has invited several other countries …
Brief ARM history Arm is a British semiconductor and software design company that is known for its Arm processors, which are widely used in smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other devices. Arm was founded in 1990 as a joint venture between Acorn Computers, Apple Computer, and VLSI Technology. The company was originally called Advanced RISC Machines, …
British microchip designing giant Arm has announced that it has filed paperwork to sell its shares in the U.S. The Cambridge-based company, which designs chips for devices from smartphones to game consoles, plans to list on New York’s Nasdaq in September. The highly anticipated IPO in the U.S. comes after UK Prime Minister, failed to convince …