Proxies for Japanese pension funds bought a record amount of overseas bonds last month, adding to signs of robust demand for foreign debt even as local yields climbed. Bank trust accounts bought a net ¥3.16 trillion ($19.7 billion) in May, preliminary figures from the Ministry of Finance showed on Monday. That was the highest in data going back to 2005. “A large share of the flows likely went into...
Proxies for Japanese pension funds bought a record amount of overseas bonds last month, adding to signs of robust demand for foreign debt even as local yields climbed. Bank trust accounts bought a net ¥3.16 trillion ($19.7 billion) in May, preliminary figures from the Ministry of Finance showed on Monday. That was the highest in data going back to 2005. “A large share of the flows likely went into the US,” said Miki Den , a senior interest-rate strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. “With US 10-year yields having risen at the time, the higher yields may have encouraged Japanese investors to buy foreign bonds.” The benchmark Treasury yield climbed to 4.69% on May 19, the highest since January 2025, as rising oil prices fanned speculation that faster inflation would force the Federal Reserve to tighten policy. The similar-maturity Japanese yield also peaked in mid-May though it was still about 200 basis points below the US levels. Both yields have since remained elevated as hopes for a diplomatic resolution involving the US, Israel and Iran have faded. “Purchases may slow in the near term amid heightened uncertainty,” said Den. “But once investors have more clarity on the Middle East and the direction of Fed policy,” Japanese buying is likely to resume, he said. Bond Yields Near Two-Decade High Open Rift Among Investors Bond Traders Bet on a CPI Surge That Bolsters Case for Fed Pivot
(RTTNews) - Indian shares are seen opening sharply lower on Monday as investors weigh weak global cues and escalating Midde East tension against strong domestic GDP data as well as the Indian government's decision eliminating the 12.5 percent long term capital gains tax on foreig
(RTTNews) - Indian shares are seen opening sharply lower on Monday as investors weigh weak global cues and escalating Midde East tension against strong domestic GDP data as well as the Indian government's decision eliminating the 12.5 percent long term capital gains tax on foreig
Market Snapshot USD/INR ₹94.94 -0.9% Nifty 50 Index 23,366.70 -0.2% India 10-Year Bond Yield 6.97% -0.03 Spot Gold ($/oz) $4,309.91 -0.4% S&P 500 Futures 7,407.75 +0.1% Market data as of 08:09 AM IST, Jun. 8, 2026, or the previous close for Indian markets. Data is subject to provider delays. Good morning... I’m Ashutosh Joshi in Mumbai with a mood check on the markets at the start of the week. Asi...
Market Snapshot USD/INR ₹94.94 -0.9% Nifty 50 Index 23,366.70 -0.2% India 10-Year Bond Yield 6.97% -0.03 Spot Gold ($/oz) $4,309.91 -0.4% S&P 500 Futures 7,407.75 +0.1% Market data as of 08:09 AM IST, Jun. 8, 2026, or the previous close for Indian markets. Data is subject to provider delays. Good morning... I’m Ashutosh Joshi in Mumbai with a mood check on the markets at the start of the week. Asia’s stock benchmark is down more than 2% in early Monday trading as a selloff in tech shares gathered momentum and a robust US jobs report fueled expectations of an interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Oil climbed after Iran fired missiles at Israel. That makes for a challenging backdrop for Indian equities. The Nifty 50 benchmark capped a second straight weekly drop on Friday to close at a two-month low. The government raised prices of domestic cooking gas for the second time since the Iran war started, to help state retailers cut losses on discounted fuel sales. That’s after four increases in diesel and gasoline prices last month. On the positive side, the measures (more on them below) announced by the RBI Friday are expected to boost foreign capital flows into Indian bonds, offering some relief to a rupee that has underperformed most major Asian currencies this year. The challenge for policymakers will now be to sustain inflows in the face of economic threats beyond their control. In today’s newsletter, we write about: Curbs on large inflows into gold ETFs Strong order books for capital-goods firms Domestic travel powering hotels But first, let’s see how the tide may be turning for the rupee. Markets Buzz: The Rupee Gets a Boost The rupee posted its biggest gain in two months on Friday after authorities took steps to attract foreign capital . That helped the currency cap a third straight weekly advance, matching a streak last seen in October. Analysts say the measures — including a tax break for global investors in government bonds and wider access to sovereign deb...
Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo surpassed 500 as health officials struggle to trace exposed contacts and keep patients in care in the country’s conflict-hit east. Congo reported 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths as of June 6, the National Institute of Public Health said in a report Sunday. There were 27 new confirmed infections and four deaths recorded during the previous...
Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo surpassed 500 as health officials struggle to trace exposed contacts and keep patients in care in the country’s conflict-hit east. Congo reported 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths as of June 6, the National Institute of Public Health said in a report Sunday. There were 27 new confirmed infections and four deaths recorded during the previous 24 hours, all in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Authorities are also investigating 117 suspected cases. Efforts to confirm infections have been slowed by a lack of reagents, and there are 193 laboratory results awaiting analysis in North Kivu province. Neighboring Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases , including two deaths. The Ebola outbreak, stretching across more than two dozen health zones in three eastern provinces in Congo, has become one of the most challenging in recent years. Efforts to contain the virus have been stymied by armed conflict and mass displacement in the area, as well as shortages of medical supplies and inadequate funding. Read More: Why Ebola Is Proving Hard to Slow in Congo Community resistance is also proving a major obstacle. At least 30 people with suspected or confirmed infections have escaped Ebola treatment or isolation facilities since June 4, according to government reports. A limited availability of care, including nutritional support, is a chief complaint. Authorities have also struggled with tracking potential exposures, reaching barely half of identified contacts nationwide and well below the 95% target needed to reliably interrupt transmission chains. In Ituri, the rate fell to 43%. Eleven confirmed Ebola cases were identified in three private health facilities and were being transferred to specialized treatment centers, officials said Saturday, highlighting the continuing challenge of finding and isolating infections outside the formal Ebola response system. The Bundibugyo strain driving the outbreak has now been de...
A key coal benchmark for Asia rose to the highest level in nearly two years as Indonesia’s new export rules delayed shipments, tightening supplies just as demand for the power-plant fuel rises with the onset of summer. The Australian Newcastle coal futures for June rose to $148.75 a ton on Friday, the highest level for a front-month contract since August 2024. Indonesia said last month it would ta...
A key coal benchmark for Asia rose to the highest level in nearly two years as Indonesia’s new export rules delayed shipments, tightening supplies just as demand for the power-plant fuel rises with the onset of summer. The Australian Newcastle coal futures for June rose to $148.75 a ton on Friday, the highest level for a front-month contract since August 2024. Indonesia said last month it would take control of shipments of key commodities, including coal, and a new system implemented in June has sowed confusion , resulting in delays of deliveries from the world’s top coal exporter. This has pushed up expectations that Australian supply would help fill the gap. Demand for coal is also expected to rise over the next few months as hotter weather hits northeast Asia, increasing use of air-conditioning in major consuming markets like China. Meanwhile, countries like Japan are also expanding coal use in order to slash reliance on liquefied natural gas, after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on the largest export plant in Qatar disrupted about 20% of global flows. Coal-fired power plants in Japan — a key Australian buyer — have been running at a higher rates compared with last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The forward curve for the Newcastle contract has flipped into a backwardation structure, when prices in the near-term are higher than in the future, signaling a tighter market.