Nikkei

Canada announced plans to build a major oil pipeline to boost sales to Asia and increase oil and gas production, aiming to reduce reliance on the US and become an 'energy superpower.' The White House has threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian oil imports, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney to pledge doubling non-US trade. Other countries are joining Asian trade blocs like CPTPP and RCEP to avoid US market unpredictability.

China’s factory output in June exceeded forecasts, driven by global AI investment and exports, though real estate and consumer sectors remained weak. Smartphone makers are cutting 2026 sales targets, and analysts await a potential stimulus package from the Politburo meeting.

Asia's chip markets experienced significant declines, with South Korea's KOSPI down 6.85%, Japan's Nikkei falling 4.29%, and Taiwan's index dropping 3.79%. These drops followed a recent rebound and were driven by renewed concerns over inflation and potential Federal Reserve rate hikes. Brazil also set a record in the Latin American pre-open market.

Bitcoin has rebounded to nearly $60,000, while the Kospi and Nikkei indices have declined. The cryptocurrency's rise contrasts with the falling stock markets in South Korea and Japan.

Global shares fell with tech stocks declining, leading to significant drops in Japan's Nikkei and South Korea's KOSPI, while European markets saw smaller declines.

A Fentanyl-linked Chinese network is accused of orchestrating a cryptocurrency fraud scheme in Japan involving a fake 'zksync.jp' token, resulting in over $1 million in global losses. The criminal group allegedly distributed the scam token to deceive users.

A Japanese corporate pension fund serving approximately 1,200 small and medium-sized businesses plans to allocate around 1% of its assets to cryptocurrency as part of a currency diversification strategy, according to a report by Nikkei.

Kevin Warsh's first meeting as Federal Reserve chairman resulted in the central bank holding benchmark rates steady, with a hawkish tone noted. The Fed's decision includes four dissenting votes, the most since 1992, and uncertainty remains about future rate predictability and borrowing costs.

Asian shares declined following a U.S. market sell-off in AI stocks, while oil prices rose due to tensions in the Iran war. Major U.S. indices like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell sharply, with companies like Nvidia and Broadcom seeing significant drops.

Japan’s SBI Shinsei Bank plans to launch a crypto rewards program for depositors this fall, offering vouchers worth 20% of deposit interest payments redeemable for cryptocurrencies.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index reached a record high as Asia-Pacific markets rose amid concerns over volatile oil prices and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

China's optical-communication companies are benefiting from high demand for AI infrastructure hardware like lasers and optical fibers, while India's software sector faces challenges due to AI replacing programmers and a lack of domestic AI infrastructure. Foreign investors are reducing exposure to India's stock market as a result.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to raise its inflation outlook in June, according to Philip Lane's comments in an interview with Nikkei. Lane, an ECB official, indicated the central bank's updated economic projections.

Japan's economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.1% in Q1, exceeding expectations, driven by US-bound exports and domestic consumption from a cash handout program. However, analysts warn that growth will cool to below 1% in Q2 due to Iran war-related fuel shortages and oil import disruptions, raising stagflation concerns.

The US and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a jump in oil prices and undermining hopes of an early reopening of the strait. The ceasefire between the two countries is under strain, impacting markets in Asia and Europe. Oil prices have surpassed $100 a barrel.

Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi's approval rating has decreased to 66% according to a Nikkei poll.