FLJP News and Press, Franklin FTSE Japan From 04/05/24

2024-04-05 13:15:00 ET Summary The global economic picture did not change significantly in the first quarter of 2024. We continue to believe that a soft landing is the most likely outcome, with major economies still on course to avoid significant contractions. Should inflation...

2024-04-05 05:40:00 ET Summary Worldwide PMI survey data compiled by S&P Global found average prices charged for goods and services to have risen globally at the fastest rate for ten months in March. The main area of stubborn price pressure remains the service sector, which re...

2024-04-04 16:25:00 ET Summary Too many companies with solid earnings growth haven’t been rewarded in narrow equity markets. That may be about to change. The market’s resilience reflects a potential turning point for equity investors, in our view. Our research in...

2024-04-04 03:59:00 ET Summary After the Bank of Japan cut rates below zero in January 2016, the yen gained 10% against the US dollar. The Nikkei 225 slumped in January and February 2016 when the BoJ initially set rates negative and then rallied once negative rates ended. High...

2024-04-03 08:30:00 ET Summary Market swings punctuated the first quarter as “central bank speak” proliferated and caused confusion. I put first quarter global markets into perspective and highlight some “little victories” that may have been easy to ove...

2024-04-02 14:15:00 ET Summary Yields have surged across fixed income in the new regime. In Q2, we stay nimble and selective, preferring short-term sovereign bonds and high yield credit. The S&P 500 jumped 10% in Q1 even as bond yields rose on markets pricing out rate cuts. In...

2024-03-30 05:58:04 ET Summary Financial conditions loosened further, building on the Fed's Q4 dovish pivot. For the quarter, the S&P 500 returned (price and dividends) 10.55%. While 10-year Treasury yields jumped 32 bps during Q1 to 4.20%, corporate Credit notably outperf...

2024-03-29 03:55:00 ET Summary Thursday's data releases were a bit mixed with weaker-than-expected IP and stronger-than-expected retail sales. Tokyo inflation hasn't changed much above the 2% level. We believe that the Bank of Japan will pay more attention to the improvement i...

2024-03-29 03:30:00 ET Summary After many years of low and negative interest rates, the Bank of Japan has changed course, creating opportunities for Japanese investors and implications for global markets. The impact of the policy change on the USD-JPY rate is likely to be gradual,...

2024-03-27 01:05:00 ET Summary The BOJ’s decision to end negative interest rates is turning out to be a “best possible scenario,” in my view, representing a vote of confidence in the Japanese economy but with extremely gentle normalization in the offing. SNB b...