The decline, awareness of the slowdown in the pace of Fed rate cuts is growing.
Overview of last week, from December 16 to December 20. Nikkei average high: 39,796.22 yen, low: 38,355.52 yen, closing price: 38,701.9 yen, compared to the previous week: -1.95% ↓ decline, with increasing awareness of the slowdown in the pace of interest rate cuts in the USA. Ahead of financial events, there was heavy movement on the upside from the beginning of the week, but after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, the slowdown in the pace of interest rate cuts in the USA for 2025 became strongly conscious, leading to further widening of the decline. The Bank of Japan's decision to refrain from additional rate hikes provided some support.
A pullback, in a market environment where interest in large Main Board stocks is high.
Overview for last week, from December 16 to December 20: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Index high: 643.49, low: 624.65, closing: 624.89, compared to the previous week: -3.09% ↓ declined, amidst a high interest in Large Cap on the Main Board. With attention turning to the central bank meetings of Japan and the U.S., there was also news considered material about discussions on a management integration between NISSAN MOTOR CO <7201> and Honda <7267>, leading to a high interest in Large Cap on the Main Board. After the financial policy events, the focus remains on Large Cap stocks in the Main market.
Express News | Foxconn has reportedly suspended its efforts to acquire a stake in Nissan.
Developments while keeping an eye on the exchange rate.
The Nikkei average has fallen for six consecutive trading days. It ended the day at 38,701.90 yen, down 111.68 yen (estimated Volume of 2.7 billion 10 million shares). Following the yen's depreciation after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference, there was buying in export-related stocks, such as Automobiles, and the Nikkei average began to rebound. Towards the end of the morning session, it rose to 39,039.68 yen. However, after Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato expressed concerns over the fluctuations in the foreign exchange market, including speculative movements, it was a trigger for short-term Futures.
TOPPAN, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, etc.
*TOPPAN <7911> acquired the soft packaging business of a U.S. company for 271.3 billion yen (Nikkei Industrial page 3) - ○*Murata Manufacturing <6981> produces MLCC in India to capture demand for smartphones (Nikkei Industrial page 3) - ○*Akebono Brake Industry <7238> fund becomes the largest Shareholder, Mr. Nagaoka as president (Nikkei Industrial page 3) - ○*Nippon Steel <5401> participating in iron ore development in Canada with Sojitz (Nikkei Industrial page 3) - ○*Mitsubishi Chemical Group <4188> increases production of synthetic quartz powder, capacity enhancement at Kyushu plant (Nikkei Industrial page 3)
The Nikkei average has fallen for five consecutive days, influenced by the decline in U.S. stocks, but the decrease in value has narrowed due to the "rate hike being put off."
On the 18th, the U.S. Stocks market continued to decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 1,123.03 dollars from the previous day to 42,326.87 dollars, while the Nasdaq dropped by 716.37 points to 19,392.69 points. With a strong wait-and-see attitude ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) results announcement, the market opened mixed. While the Dow average, which had been declining until the previous day, saw some buying in major stocks and rose, the Nasdaq started with a slight decline. The FOMC is expected to raise the key policy interest rate by 0.25% as predicted.