BANK OF JAPAN : Banknote issue, bill clearings

11/17 G30 STUDY HIGHLIGHTS RISKS TO FINANC: Rise of Shadow Banking Activities Merit C.. 01:33a LLOYDS BANKING: British taxpayers face 27 billion pound loss from bank bailout 11/23 DJ BANK OF AMERICA: Sting from Merrill's International Shift Lingers ... ( read original story ...)

Japan’s Bank Earnings Hindered by Negative Rates, Stronger Yen

TOKYO—Profits at Japan’s top banks were hurt by negative interest rates and a stronger yen in the fiscal first half, highlighting challenges in the banking industry. Japan’s biggest lender, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. or MUFG, reported net ... ( read original story ...)

RPT-Japanese private equity emerging from its torpor

GOOD YEAR TO RAISE FUNDS As Japan's central bank implemented a policy of negative interest rates at the beginning of the year, exacerbating the difficulty of finding investment yield in an era of low returns, more investors started to look at private ... ( read original story ...)

Central bank plays trump card early to shock markets straight

TOKYO -- The Bank of Japan last week offered to buy bonds at a fixed yield to curb rising interest rates, playing what was seen as an ultimate trump card far earlier than many expected. The BOJ announced its first-ever fixed-rate purchase operation on the ... ( read original story ...)

Credit Suisse Goes Bullish On Nikkei

Readers of this blog have complained that the Nikkei 225 is not rallying as fast as the yen is weakening. Credit Suisse appears to share that sentiment. Credit Suisse raised its weighting in Japanese stocks to Overweight, now seeing Nikkei to hit 20,000 by ... ( read original story ...)

Market Scramble: US jitters over dollar could dampen Japan rally

TOKYO -- Though Japan stock investors are feeling bullish thanks to the dollar's recent gains against the yen, some are keeping a wary eye on the U.S. amid concern that the greenback's impact on profits there could cool sentiment more broadly. The Nikkei ... ( read original story ...)

Latest Fukushima quake puts Japan's preparations to the test

TOKYO -- Thanks to robust disaster preparation, northeast Japan escaped a strong earthquake early Tuesday with minimum damage and injuries, but snags during tsunami evacuations and less-than-timely information from authorities leave room for improvement. ( read original story ...)

The Latest: Japan earthquake an aftershock of 2011 quake

The Japan Meteorological Agency says the strong earthquake that struck Tuesday off the coast of Fukushima prefecture was an aftershock of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that spawned a deadly tsunami in the same region in 2011. The agency warned that another ... ( read original story ...)

Nikkei posts 5-day winning streak, earthquake impact seen limited

A powerful earthquake that hit northern Japan in the early morning had only a limited impact on the market. The Nikkei rose 0.3 percent to 18,162.94, its highest close since early January. The broader Topix gained 0.3 percent to 1,447.50 and the JPX-Nikkei ... ( read original story ...)

Nikkei pauses after rally, earthquake impact seen limited

... after a strong rally and as investors pondered the impact of a powerful earthquake that hit northern Japan. Before the Tokyo market opened, Nikkei futures traded in the United States briefly slipped after the quake, which also triggered a tsunami. ( read original story ...)

FT in Talks on Acquisitions Year After Nikkei Deal

The Financial Times is in talks to buy companies that strengthen its digital subscription business as the newspaper capitalizes on greater financial support from its new owner, Japan’s Nikkei Inc., FT Chief Executive Officer John Ridding said. ( read original story ...)