News & Insights

In March, Japanese equities declined with the TOPIX and Nikkei 225 indices dropping by 0.9% and -4.1%, respectively. The decline was driven by concerns over U.S. President Trump’s tariff proposals, a rising yen, and fears of a global economic slowdown.

[External Link] Katsutoshi Inadome, Chief Strategist at SuMi TRUST AM, shared his comments on the outlook for Japan's monetary policy as the Bank of Japan announced it would make no changes at present.

In February, the Japanese equity market declined with the TOPIX and Nikkei 225 indices dropping by -3.8% and -6.1% respectively. A number of factors including continued concern over President Trump’s tariffs on U.S. imports, failed ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, and speculation over further Bank of Japan interest rate hikes led to volatility.

In January, the Japanese equity market saw modest movements, with the TOPIX up by 0.1% and the Nikkei 225 down by 0.8% at the month end. A number of factors including a rate hike by the Bank of Japan, the Fed holding rates in place and setbacks for US AI companies led to some volatility within the month.

In December, the Japanese equity market rebounded with the TOPIX and Nikkei 225 indices ending the month up by 3.89% and 4.41% respectively. Despite a US rate cut of 0.25% by the Fed, the Bank of Japan’s dovish stance contributed to the weakening of the yen.