iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF

SCJ

Börsenwert 238 Mio. $

Japan's Nikkei 225 rebounded sharply on Friday as lower US Treasury yields and a late Wall Street recovery encouraged investors back into stocks battered by this week's AI-led sell-off. The benchmark rose 1.82% to 65,598.63 by 10:02 am in Tokyo, after plunging 4.9% on Thursday to 64,425.95, its biggest daily percentage decline since March.

South Korean and Japanese stocks rebounded on Wednesday as investors returned to semiconductor and AI shares hammered in Tuesday's rout, though the recovery stopped well short of signalling an all-clear. The KOSPI was up about 1.5% at 6,123 by 11:30 am in Seoul after briefly gaining more than 2%, while the Nikkei 225 rose 0.61% to 68,193.13 at Tokyo's midday break.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on Monday there were no plans ​for a fresh release of crude oil from national reserves ‌as the country had already released supplies.

Asian stocks came under renewed pressure on Tuesday as rising oil prices and a global bond selloff pushed borrowing costs higher, but the damage was uneven across the region's two major technology-heavy markets. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell about 1.2% to 65,070.58 in early trade, while South Korea's KOSPI was down a much smaller 0.2% near 6,877 late in the morning.

Nomura's Rob Subbaraman says Japan's bond market is “flashing warning signs” as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pursues fiscal stimulus aimed at lifting nominal growth. He says rising borrowing costs could threaten that strategy, while largely cost-driven inflation complicates the Bank of Japan's tightening path.

BoJ's rate hike failed to lift the yen, raising questions about further tightening. Here are the Japan ETFs that could benefit.

iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF SCJ is probably on the radar for investors seeking momentum. The fund just hit a 52-week high and has surged 26.5% from its 52-week low price of $88.08 per share.

The yen extends its drop against the dollar after BOJ Governor Ueda gave mixed signals about future interest-rate hikes. The central bank lifted interest rates by a quarter point to 1.25%.

The yen is back in focus after mixed signals from a widely expected interest-rate hike from the Bank of Japan.

The bank of Japan delivers a quarter point hike, taking rates to the highest level since 1995. But two dissenting votes raise doubts around further normalization, driving the Yen and JGB yields lower.