BOJ|JPYThe BoJ's mid-June rate hike to 1.0% — the highest policy rate since 1995, decided 7-1 with board member Toichiro Asada dissenting — remains the structural anchor for Japanese markets. Despite Japan having spent an estimated ¥11.7 trillion ($73.5bn) on intervention in May, USD/JPY remains pinned at 162.59, barely changed on the day (-0.02%), reflecting persistent carry trade demand. CFTC data shows net short yen positions at $10.1 billion, a level last seen in July 2024 when a coordinated intervention and BoJ rate hike triggered a sharp carry trade unwind.
PBOC|CHINAThe PBOC injected ¥157.5bn through seven-day reverse repos at a record-low rate of 1.4% and separately launched overnight reverse repo operations offering ¥300bn to financial institutions, signalling continued commitment to accommodative policy. China's June trade data is due at 02:00 JST Thursday, with exports forecast up 15% year-on-year (prior: +14.1%) and imports forecast +25% (prior: +25.3%), against a trade surplus forecast of $92.1bn versus a prior $84.8bn — the outcome will be a key near-term read on the health of China's external demand.
KOREA|KOSPIThe KOSPI surged 0.97% to close at 8,476 on Wednesday after President Lee Jae Myung unveiled a major national semiconductor investment plan, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix committing $880bn to new chipmaking capacity; the index closed at 8,476, well above an intraday trough of 8,395 that reflected early selling on Samsung's 4.8% and SK Hynix's 1.7% declines. Global strategist Daniel Yoo at Yuanta Securities Korea has publicly forecast the KOSPI reaching 10,000 by year-end. South Korea also begins 24-hour dollar-won spot trading on 6 July as part of capital market reforms.
HK|HKEXHong Kong's IPO market surged to a five-year H1 high, raising nearly $44bn through IPOs, placements, and block trades. CATL and Victory Giant Technology led multibillion-dollar offerings, while Luxshare Precision, Zhongji Innolight, and Baidu's chip unit Kunlunxin are in the pipeline, cementing Hong Kong as the regional fundraising hub for China's AI supply chain. The Hang Seng closed Wednesday at 22,881, down 0.63% on the session, though it had rebounded to 23,027 in a prior session as bargain hunters returned to beaten-down tech names after the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index had fallen more than 20% from its recent peak.
ASXThe ASX 200 fell 0.51% to 8,778 at Wednesday's close after dropping 1.08% in the prior session to 8,684, with the Materials sector the worst performer at -1.60% and REITs down 2.26%. Australia's NAB Business Confidence print (prior: -23) and the RBA Bulletin are both due at 00:30 JST Thursday, followed by Westpac Consumer Confidence at 23:30 JST. The RBA's June minutes flagged inflation still well above the 2-3% target and signalled further tightening remains possible after three hikes already this year, keeping AUD/USD under pressure at 0.6894 (-0.27%).