News & Insights

In February Japanese equities performed unprecedentedly well, bringing the Nikkei 225 to a historical high of 39,426 yen on the 27th February. This surge was primarily driven by positive corporate earnings announcements and the expectations for continuous monetary easing policies. Foreign investor trading volume continued to be high for the second month running, which was a supporting factor for the market.

[EXTERNAL LINK] In an article with Nikkei Asia, Yoshio Hishida, chief executive officer at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management, discusses SuMi TRUST AM's presence in the Middle Eastern region, which accounts for 90% of the firm's assets from overseas.

In January, Japanese equities rebounded in price due to a weaker yen and higher U.S. stock prices. The TOPIX surged by 7.8% to its highest point in the past 2 months, while the Nikkei 225 reached the 36,000-yen level, up by 8.4%. Growth factors dominated towards the beginning of the month, but were overtaken by value factors in the latter half of the month. Meanwhile large cap stocks outperformed this month.

[EXTERNAL LINK] BoJ Policy Meeting results in decision to maintain Japan's ultra-loose monetary policy, in line with senior strategist Katsutoshi Inadome's comments.

[EXTERNAL LINK] Personnel movements in SuMi TRUST's London office (Sumitomo Mitsui Trust International) were featured in Wealth Briefing.

[EXTERNAL LINK] Chief Strategist Hiroyuki Ueno and Senior Strategist Katsutoshi Inadome's outlook for the Japanese economy in 2024 was featured in Wealth Briefing.