Overview
- Japan’s Nikkei fell for a fourth straight session, with early trade showing losses of about 0.8% as selling persisted across sectors.
- Japanese government bond yields climbed to record levels, including the 40-year yield reaching 4%, pressuring equity valuations.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi set a Feb. 8 snap election and proposed a temporary suspension of the sales tax on food, stoking fiscal worries.
- President Donald Trump threatened new U.S. tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland, starting at 10% from Feb. 1 and rising to 25% on Jun. 1, weighing on European and Asian markets.
- Safe-haven demand lifted precious metals, with silver hitting a fresh record near US$94.73 as risk-off flows built across the region.