Bank of Japan

Stocks plunged in Tokyo on Monday after the yen surged in reaction to Shigeru Ishiba's election last week as the head of Japan's ruling party, which boosted expectations the Bank of Japan will continue hiking interest rates.

Debate is swirling around how big an expected U.S. interest rate cut will be this week, while market sentiment is being dragged by worries about the Chinese economy.

The yen edged to a new high since December ahead of the Federal Reserve decision on Sept. 18 and a policy meeting at the Bank of Japan two days later.

Japanese stocks surged and markets across Asia started strong on Friday, tracking substantial gains on Wall Street after encouraging U.S. retail sales data reassured investors about the health of the world's biggest economy.

Uncontrollable “bleeding” in global markets, with Athens recording one of the largest percentage drops compared to other European stock exchanges. Most of this year’s gains were lost, with trading volume at high levels due to mass sell-offs.

Tokyo stocks sank more than 12 percent Monday, battered by a resurgent yen and weak U.S. jobs data that fuelled fears of a recession in the world's top economy.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunged 12.40 percent, or 4,451.28 points, to 31,458.42 — its largest points drop in history — while the broader Topix index lost 12.23 percent, or 310.45 points, to 2,227.15.

The Greek stock market closed Wednesday’s (31/7) session on a positive note, with the banking sector giving its back, stopping a six-day downward trend that had cost it -5.26%.

The Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate and revealed plans to halve its bond purchases in actions that underscore its determination to normalize its policy.

South Korea and Japan shared "serious concerns" on the recent weakness of their currencies against the dollar and agreed to take "appropriate actions" to counter extreme volatility, the finance ministry in Seoul said Wednesday.

Amid a strengthening dollar fueled by robust U.S. economic indicators, the Japanese yen tumbled to its lowest level in 34 years. On Tuesday, the U.S. dollar surged to 151.97 yen, surpassing the previous multi-year peak set in October 2022. This surge has triggered concerns over Japan's currency stability, prompting Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki to hint at potential intervention.

Japan's central bank on March 19 scrapped its negative interest rate as it finally began unwinding one of the world's most aggressive monetary easing programs.

The maverick policy dating back to 2013 was aimed at jump-starting economic growth and inflation after the country's "lost decades" of stagnant activity and prices in the world's number four economy.