Nikkei 225, Kospi, Nifty 50, Japan BOJ rate decision
Aerial view of Mount Fuji, Tokyo Tower and modern skyscrapers in Tokyo on a sunny day.
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Asia-Pacific markets rose on Friday as investors focused on the Bank of Japan’s decision to be announced later in the day.
The decision could see rates rise to 0.75%, the highest level since 1995, while data from LSEG shows the likelihood of a Bank of Japan hike is 86.4%.
The rate hike will likely strengthen the yen against the dollar and control inflation, which has been above the BOJ’s target for 44 months.
Government data released Friday showed Japan’s consumer inflation rate fell to 2.9% in November. Core inflation, which excludes fresh food prices, remained unchanged from 3% in October and was in line with the average forecast of economists polled by Reuters.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.52% in early trade.
of japan Nikkei 225 rose 0.56%, while Topix rose 0.57%. South Korea’s Kospi index gained 0.68%, while the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.53%.
of hong kong Hang Seng index Futures traded at 25,675, above HSI’s last close of 25,498.13.
The U.S. S&P 500 ended a four-day slide on Thursday, buoyed by lighter-than-expected inflation data and strong guidance from chipmaker Micron Technology that brightened the outlook for low interest rates in 2026.
The broad market index increased by 0.79% to 6,774.76 points, while the Nasdaq Composite increased by 1.38% to 23,006.36 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 65.88 points, or 0.14%, to end the day at 47,951.85.
— CNBC’s Lim Hui Jie, Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this story.
