Gold Holds Near $4,275 as Rising Treasury Yields Fuel Fed Rate Hike Bets 
US 10-Year Treasury Yield at 6% Emerges as New Market Risk Threshold 
Mexico-US Trade Talks Delayed to October as Tariff Negotiations Continue 
Germany’s 2026 Growth Outlook Strengthens on Fiscal Spending 
Oil Prices Fall on U.S.-Iran Hormuz Deal Hopes 
Canadian Dollar Faces Pressure as Fed-BoC Policy Gap Widens 
Fed’s Hammack Says Bond Yield Surge Is Not Driven by Inflation Fears 
Trump, Xi Focus on Trade and AI at White House Summit 
China Agrees to Buy 20 Million Tons of U.S. Coal 
Asian Stocks Fall as Surging Bond Yields Rattle Markets 
Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets 
RBI Uses $10 Billion Currency Swaps to Drain Excess Rupee Liquidity 
U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge 
Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act 
Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act 
Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High as Yen Approaches 160 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Asian markets mostly advanced on Wednesday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 surging 2.7% to its highest level since July 2024 after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a major trade agreement with Japan. The deal, seen as a breakthrough ahead of an August 1 tariff deadline, includes a 15% U.S. tariff on Japanese exports—lower than the initially proposed 25%—and opens Japanese markets to more U.S. agricultural and automotive products. Trump also stated that Japan would invest $550 billion in the U.S.
Japanese automakers led the rally, with Toyota and Honda jumping up to 10%. The trade agreement provided a much-needed boost to sentiment among Japanese exporters, even as the 15% tariff still presents moderate challenges. Investors largely shrugged off domestic political uncertainty following a recent electoral setback for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling party.
Despite Japan’s strong performance, broader gains in Asian equities were tempered by weakness in technology shares, especially chipmakers. This followed soft guidance from Texas Instruments and reports of challenges in the $500 billion AI venture between Japan’s SoftBank and OpenAI. South Korea’s KOSPI slipped 0.2%, underperforming regional peers, while Singapore’s Straits Times Index traded flat.
Meanwhile, Australia’s ASX 200 gained 0.6%, rebounding from recent losses, and both China’s Shanghai Composite and CSI 300 rose 0.2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng also added 0.6%. India’s Gift Nifty 50 Futures inched up 0.1%, reflecting cautious optimism as traders awaited progress on a potential U.S.-India trade deal.
Overall, optimism around the U.S.-Japan agreement fueled hopes of similar deals with other Asian economies, but tech sector weakness remains a drag on broader regional sentiment.
