European discount retailer Pepco does not plan to raise prices to boost margins, instead banking on improved efficiency amid subdued consumer sentiment, the finance head ?of its main brand said on Friday. "Our ?model is not to ?increase prices," Hugo van Santen, chief financial officer of the Pepco brand, told Reuters ?in an interview.
* Yen volatile as markets speculate about rate checks. * Bank of Japan keeps rates steady. * Dollar selling intact as Greenland saga rumbles on. * Trump touts 'total access' Greenland deal with NATO. By Ankur Banerjee and Sophie Kiderlin.
* Global stocks flat after Greenland tensions ease. * Oil gains on Trump threats on Iran. * BOJ holds rates as expected, yen choppy. * Dollar stabilises near weakest levels of 2026. By Iain Withers and Gregor Stuart Hunter.
The upcoming Bank of Canada meeting on Wednesday will take place against a backdrop of softening Canadian data, with the labor market still showing signs of slack, said UBS.
The main US stock measures were pointing lower before the opening bell Friday as traders digest the latest economic data and chipmaker Intel's (INTC) quarterly results and outlook. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq edged down 0.1% each in premarket activity while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 0.2%. The indexes finished the previous trading session in the green.
Kazakhstan's central bank Friday said it kept its base rate unchanged at 18.00%, as inflation risks remain elevated. ING said NBK's was in line with consensus. The bank predicts inflation in 2026 to trend toward the upper end of the NBK's official forecast range of 9.5%-12.5%. This limits the scope for meaningful rate cuts from current levels.
Investors who have been consumed by geopolitical turmoil to start the year may switch focus in the coming week to prospects for artificial intelligence-related profits and the path for interest rates, with a huge crop of earnings reports and a Federal Reserve meeting on tap.
* About one fifth of S&P 500 set to post quarterly results. * Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Tesla among those due to report. * Fed expected to hold rates steady on Wednesday as independence questions hover. By Lewis Krauskopf.
Multilateral lender AfreximBank terminated its relationship ?with credit rating ?firm Fitch on Friday, ?due to ?what ?it said was ?a "firm ?belief" that the agency's rating exercise ?no ?longer ?reflected the bank's establishment agreement.
Asian stock markets largely gained on Friday on declining geopolitical tensions in Europe, and on signs of moderation from the two major regional central banks, the Bank of Japan and the People's Bank of China. Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the green, as did most other regional exchanges.
* Government circumvented parliament on budget due to lack of majority. * Le Pen warns government's backers of electoral consequences. * PM says deficit won't top 5% of GDP, still exceeds EU cap. By Elizabeth Pineau and Dominique Vidalon.
Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on ?Friday she was watching currency markets closely, ?but declined to comment on ?speculation among traders that authorities ?had checked ?currency rates with banks - a prelude to ?potential intervention.
The current world order is changing but its transformation is ?not a rupture, European Central ?Bank President Christine Lagarde ?said on Friday, pushing ?back ?on Canadian Prime Minister Mark ?Carney's argument that "we ?are in the midst of a rupture". "I'm ?not exactly ?on ?the same page as Mark," Lagarde told the World ?Economic Forum in Davos.
* Yen volatile as markets speculate about rate checks. * Bank of Japan keeps rates steady. * Dollar selling intact as Greenland saga rumbles on. * Trump touts 'total access' Greenland deal with NATO. By Ankur Banerjee and Sophie Kiderlin.
German ultra-long-dated bond yields looked on track for their sharpest weekly rise in nearly two months on Friday, as traders braced for continued supply pressure and shrugged off mixed purchasing managers' index data.
Taiwan looks forward to even more semiconductor investment in Arizona to bolster ties with the United States, President Lai Ching-te told a visiting senator from the state on Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump has ?pushed the major producer of semiconductors, which runs a large trade surplus with the ?United States, to invest more in the U.S., specifically in ?chips that power AI.
Taiwan looks forward to even more semiconductor investment in Arizona to bolster ties with the United States, President Lai Ching-te told a visiting senator from the state on Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump ?has pushed the major producer of semiconductors, which runs a large trade surplus with ?the United States, to invest more in the U.S., specifically in ?chips that power AI.
Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki ?Katayama on ?Friday declined ?to respond ?to ?a question ?on whether ?authorities had conducted ?rate ?checks ?in the market, saying only that ?she was monitoring currency markets ?with ?a sense of urgency. Katayama ?was speaking to reporters at the Ministry ?of Finance.
Hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan on Friday boosted short-term government bond yields to a three-decade high, while the yen abruptly spiked after sliding past 159 per dollar towards an 18-month low. The yen had weakened even as two-year JGB yields climbed to 1.25% for the first time since August 1996, as BOJ Governor Kazuo ?Ueda's press conference unfolded without any surprises.
* India to prioritise 15 sectors including semiconductors, labour-intensive sectors. * Nearly $1 billion to be spent on manufacturing hubs, funding advanced sectors. * Focus on cutting red tape, speeding approvals and aligning tariffs. * Divergent policies by India's federal and state governments have weighed on investment. By Nikunj Ohri and Sarita Chaganti Singh.
* NY Fed conducts rate checks, source tells Reuters. * Yen jumps suddenly against the dollar. * Traders alert to intervention risk. * BOJ leaves rates steady. By Tom Westbrook, Alun John, Anis mahmud and Hannah Lang.
British retail sales rose unexpectedly last month, helped by strong online shopping, according to data published on Friday which added to signs of a pickup in the economy after finance minister Rachel Reeves' budget. Sales volumes rose by 0.4% in December from November, the Office for National Statistics ?said.
The Bank of Japan raised its growth estimate and maintained its hawkish inflation forecasts on Friday even as it kept interest rates steady, signalling its confidence ?a moderate recovery would justify raising still-low borrowing costs further.
Hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan on Friday lifted short-term government bond yields to a three-decade high, but did little to curb persistent weakness in the yen.
* Yen holds near 160/dollar after BOJ decision. * BOJ keeps rates steady, focus on Ueda comments. * Dollar selling intact as Greenland saga rumbles on. * Trump touts 'total access' Greenland deal with NATO. By Ankur Banerjee.
* Regional benchmarks choppy after Wall Street gains. * BOJ stays on hold as expected, Governor Ueda to speak at 0630 GMT. * Dollar stabilises near weakest levels of 2026 after biggest one-day drop in six weeks. By Gregor Stuart Hunter.
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Friday and raised its economic and inflation forecasts, signalling its readiness to continue hiking still-low borrowing costs. As widely expected, the central bank maintained short-term interest rates at 0.75% by an 8-1 vote. COMMENTS. HIROFUMI SUZUKI, CHIEF FX STRATEGIST, SMBC, TOKYO: "As expected, the BOJ left monetary policy unchanged.
Japan's Nikkei stock average extended its advance and government bond futures turned lower on Friday after the Bank of Japan left interest rates unchanged, as had been widely expected. The yen remained weaker against the U.S. dollar, even as the central bank raised its economic and ?inflation forecasts, and reiterated a pledge to continue tightening policy.
* BOJ keeps key policy rate steady at 0.75% as widely expected. * Board revises up growth forecasts for fiscal 2025, 2026. * Hawkish member Takata proposes rate hike, turned down by board. * Governor Ueda says wage hikes leading to broader inflation. * Yen slumps despite hawkish tone, before jumping vs dollar. By Leika Kihara and Makiko Yamazaki.
* Yen softens near 160/dollar after BOJ decision. * BOJ keeps rates steady, focus on Ueda comments. * Dollar under pressure as Greenland saga rumbles on. * Trump touts 'total access' Greenland deal with NATO. By Ankur Banerjee.
Here are ?the median ?forecasts for ?changes ?in
real ?gross domestic ?product (GDP) ?and consumer price ?index (CPI) ?from ?the Bank
of Japan's policy ?board members.
The Bank of Japan kept interest ?rates steady on ?Friday and raised ?its economic and ?inflation ?forecasts, signalling its ?readiness to ?continue hiking still-low borrowing costs. As ?widely ?expected, ?the central bank maintained short-term interest ?rates at 0.75% by an 8-1 vote.
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates ?steady on ?Friday and raised ?its economic ?and inflation ?forecasts, signalling its ?readiness to ?continue hiking still-low borrowing costs. As ?widely ?expected, ?the central bank maintained short-term interest rates ?at 0.75% by an 8-1 vote.
The yen traded choppily on Friday with traders nervous that Japanese authorities are close to intervening directly in markets to support the currency, while global stocks were subdued after previously rallying on U.S. President Donald Trump's softer stance on Greenland.
* Regional benchmarks choppy after Wall St gains. * BOJ decision due after 0330 GMT, Governor Ueda to speak at 0630 GMT. * Dollar holds near weakest levels of 2026 after biggest drop in six weeks. By Gregor Stuart Hunter. Stocks made tepid gains in early Asian trading on Friday ahead of the Bank of Japan's latest policy meeting, at which it is widely expected to ?keep rates on hold.
* Dollar under pressure as Greenland saga rumbles on. * Trump touts 'total access' Greenland deal with NATO. * Yen steady but close to 160/dlr ahead of BOJ meet. * BOJ seen to stand pat, focus on Ueda comments. By Ankur Banerjee.
China is likely to set this ?year's economic growth ?target in ?a range ?between ?4.5% and 5%, ?the ?South China Morning Post said ?on ?Friday, ?citing sources briefed on the matter. China's State ?Council Information Office did not immediately respond ?to ?Reuters' request for comment. The ?economy grew 5.0% in 2025, meeting the government's target.
The Bank of Japan retained its hawkish inflation forecasts on Friday and stressed it will remain vigilant to price risks from a weak yen, signalling that policymakers intend to keep raising still-low borrowing costs in a politically charged atmosphere.
Japan's core consumer inflation slowed in the year to December but stayed above the central bank's 2% target, data showed on ?Friday, keeping alive market expectations of future interest rate rises.
Japanese stocks edged higher along with government bond futures on Friday, with investors taking early cues from U.S. markets ahead of a Bank of Japan policy decision later in the day. The Nikkei was slightly above flat after the ?first 10 minutes of trading, having opened around 0.3% higher. Benchmark 10-year Japanese ?government bond futures added 0.05 yen to 131.65 yen.
Japan's manufacturing activity expanded in January for the first time in seven months, buoyed by the biggest rise in new export orders in more than four years, a private-sector survey showed.
Japan's manufacturing activity expanded in January for the first time in seven months, buoyed by the biggest rise in new export orders in more than four years, a private-sector survey showed.
Japan's core consumer inflation slowed in the year to December but stayed above the central bank's 2% target, data showed on ?Friday, keeping alive market expectations of future interest rate rises.
Brazilian investment bank BTG ?Pactual raised $750 ?million with the ?issuance ?of dollar-denominated ?bonds maturing in ?five ?years and priced at ?a 5.50% ?coupon ?and yield, IFR reported on ?Thursday. * The notes issued were senior unsecured, ?IFR ?said. * The company ?intends to use the resources for general business purposes, it ?added.
In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.
Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.
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