S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico MarketThe Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.3% to below 50,500, while the broader Topix Index lost 0.1% to 3,380 on Wednesday, ending a two-day advance as hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan weighed on domestic equities. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated that the central bank is getting close to its inflation target, suggesting a potential near-term rate hike. Markets are pricing in a possible rate increase next week, with attention on Ueda’s post-meeting comments for guidance on policy next year. Meanwhile, a weaker yen provided some support by improving the profit outlook for export-heavy industries and making Japanese assets more attractive to foreign investors. Nevertheless, sharp losses were seen among index heavyweights, including SoftBank Group (-1%), Disco Corp (-2%), Lasertec (-3.2%), Advantest (-1.9%) and Mitsubishi Heavy (-1.3%).
