- As investors brace for a busy week of economic data that will help clarify the route forward for interest rates, Asian stocks were neutral, while US share futures dipped.
- In Japan, stocks increased, while in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Australia, they fell. Following a quiet close to trading last week, contracts for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 were both down roughly 0.2%.
- Signs that there would be no major economic slump are expected to bolster Japanese stocks that are economically sensitive, said Shoji Hirakawa, a Chief Global Strategist at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute.
- BoJ's Governor Ueda will hold his first policy meeting later this week. The central bank intends to assess and inspect measures implemented over the last decades as soon as this week's meeting, according to the Sankei newspaper.
