Nikkei | DD News

October 21, 2025 12:19 PM

Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female prime minister

Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was elected Japan's first female prime minister on Tuesday, shattering the nation's glass ceiling and setting it up for a forceful turn to the right. An acolyte of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and an admirer of Britain's Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi received 237 votes in the lower house election to choose the next premier, topping the majority of the 465-seat chamber. Her victory marks a pivotal moment for a country where men still hold overwhelming sway...

October 20, 2025 9:43 AM

Asia shares led higher by Japan jump, China GDP beats

A jump in the Nikkei led Asian markets higher on Monday as Japan looked close to installing a new prime minister, while a reading on U.S. inflation this week is expected to be no more than a speed bump on the way to further rate cuts there. Data showed China's economy grew 1.1% in the third quarter, to top forecasts, while industrial output also beat with a rise of 6.5%, which could reinforce Beijing's determination to fight a lengthy trade war with the United States. But on an annual basis, i...

August 18, 2025 9:14 AM

Global shares scale fresh tops in Asia, oil slips on truce talks

Share markets edged higher in Asia on Monday ahead of what is likely to be an eventful week for U.S. interest rate policy, while oil prices slipped as risks to Russian supplies seemed to fade a little. A general risk-on mood saw indices in Japan and Taiwan make record peaks, while Chinese blue chips reached their highest in 10 months. U.S. President Donald Trump now seemed more aligned with Moscow on seeking a peace deal with Ukraine instead of a ceasefire first, after meeting Russian Presiden...

April 16, 2025 9:07 AM

Asian shares fall as Nvidia hit by U.S. chips curbs, gold hits record

Shares fell in Asia on Wednesday as AI darling Nvidia took a hit from U.S. curbs on chip sales to China, highlighting the damage to come in a tit-for-tat global trade war, while gold hit a record and the dollar stayed under pressure. Data showed that China's economy grew 5.4% in the first quarter from a year earlier, beating expectations, although trade tensions with the U.S. have clouded the outlook. Overnight, President Donald Trump ordered a probe into potential new tariffs on all U.S. crit...

April 15, 2025 8:53 AM

Asia shares rise, bonds hold steady on some tariff reprieve

Asia shares edged slightly higher on Tuesday, helped by gains in auto companies after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he might grant exemptions on auto-related levies already in place. U.S. Treasury bonds steadied having staged a recovery overnight following last week's historic selloff, while the dollar continued to fall out of favour with investors. Trump said on Monday he was considering a modification to the 25% tariffs imposed on foreign auto and auto parts imports from Mexico, Cana...

April 11, 2025 9:54 AM

Global stocks, dollar sink, bonds pummelled again as trade war roils markets

Global stocks slumped and the dollar sank further on Friday, while a manic bond selloff took hold in a brutal end to the week of tit-for-tat worldwide tariffs that have fed fears of a deep recession and shaken investor confidence in U.S. assets. The anxiety has sparked a rush into safe havens, sending the Swiss franc soaring to a decade high against the dollar, and gold to a new peak after a brief but massive relief rally following U.S. President Donald Trump's move to temporarily lower tariffs...

A investor pays attention to the stock market at a securities trading hall in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province on April 8, 2025. Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

April 9, 2025 8:57 AM

Stocks slide in Asia as recession fears pummel sentiment, oil hits four-year lows

Stocks in Asia extended a slide on Wall Street on Wednesday as President Donald Trump looked set to press ahead with whopping 104% tariffs on Chinese goods, pummelling oil prices to four-year lows as global recession fears gripped financial markets. The U.S. dollar fell against safe-haven currencies but the offshore yuan hit a record low of 7.4287 per dollar overnight. Fed fund futures jumped in early Asian trade to imply around 115 basis points of interest rate cuts this year, compared to 92 b...

April 7, 2025 9:27 AM

Asian stocks dive as tariff tensions rise

Major stock indexes plunged in Asia on Monday as White House officials showed no sign of backing away from their sweeping tariff plans, and investors wagered the mounting risk of recession could see U.S. interest rates cut as early as May. Futures markets moved swiftly to price in almost five quarter-point cuts in U.S. rates this year, pulling Treasury yields down sharply and hampering the dollar. The carnage came as President Donald Trump told reporters that investors would have to take their...

April 3, 2025 9:29 AM

Global stocks slump as US tariffs hit tech hardest

Stocks dived and investors scrambled to the safety of bonds, gold and the yen on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a bigger-than-expected wall of tariffs around the world's largest economy, upending trade and supply chains. The high-flying tech sector was pummelled as manufacturing hubs in China and Taiwan faced new tariffs above 30%, bringing the total new levy to an eye-watering 54% on imports from China. "The U.S. effective tariff rate on all imports look to be the highest le...

April 1, 2025 9:01 AM

Global stocks stabilise, gold hits record as Trump prepares to unveil reciprocal tariffs

Asian equities rose on Tuesday following Wall Street's overnight gains, while gold hit an all-time peak and Treasury yields fell as markets awaited details of U.S. President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs. The Japanese yen strengthened as traditional haven assets drew demand. Meanwhile, the risk-sensitive Australian dollar was under pressure after a soft reading of local retail sales, ahead of a Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision later in the day. Regional stocks found some respite o...