FX.co ★ Japanese Shares Rise Ahead of BOJ Decision

The Nikkei 225 Index advanced by 0.5% on Thursday, exceeding 36,200 and marking a one-month peak as investors anticipated the latest monetary policy announcement from the Bank of Japan. It is broadly anticipated that the central bank will maintain its current interest rate at 0.5%, carefully evaluating the impacts of recent US tariffs on Japan's export-focused economy. Japanese equities were also buoyed by positive signals from Wall Street, where investors shrugged off concerns of a recession despite an unexpected contraction of the US economy in the first quarter. Contributing to the upbeat market sentiment were optimistic prospects for US-Japan trade negotiations, following US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's indication of a potential agreement earlier in the week. Significant gains were observed among major companies like Disco Corp and Nintendo, both rising by 1.1%, Advantest with a 2.3% increase, Hitachi up 2.1%, and Keyence adding 1.4%.