The latest Market Talks covering FX and Fixed Income. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

2012 ET - The Nikkei Stock Average is flat at 36886.32, as gains in consumer and railway stocks help offset losses in electronics and machinery stocks. Unicharm rises 4.2% and Seibu Holdings is 2.2% higher, while Kioxia Holdings declines 3.4% and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is 3.3% lower. USD/JPY is at 147.30, compared with 147.56 as of Friday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing on any developments related to U.S. trade policy as well as Japanese monetary policy. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com; @kosakunarioka)

2047 ET - The yen strengthens against most other G-10 and Asian currencies in early trade amid prospects of large wage increases in Japan. The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, known as Rengo, is scheduled to announce preliminary results for the annual spring wage negotiations this Friday. "We expect Rengo to announce another strong wage result on Friday which could bring forward expectations of BOJ rate hikes," CBA's Global Economic & Markets Research team says in a note. U.S.-Japan interest-rate differentials could narrow further and pull down USD/JPY, the team adds. USD/JPY falls 0.4% to 147.30; AUD/JPY sheds 0.4% to 92.97. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

2041 ET - South Korea's benchmark Kospi edges up 0.1% to 2566.21 in early mixed trade, reversing from its opening fall. Retail investors are net buyers while foreign and institutional investors are net sellers. Energy stocks advance while shipbuilding shares retreat. Oil refiners SK Innovation and S-Oil rise 4.5% and 5.4%, respectively. Electric-vehicle battery maker LG Energy Solution gains 2.9%. Shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean fall 4.6% and 3.6%, respectively. USD/KRW is 0.1% higher at 1,447.60, compared with Friday's Seoul onshore trading close. South Korea's 10-year government bond yield is down 3.3 bps at 2.773%. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

2013 ET - JGBs edge lower in the morning Tokyo session, tracking Friday's price declines in U.S. Treasurys. JGBs and Treasurys tend to move in tandem. The domestic market may also be weighed by Japanese data released earlier showing scheduled cash earnings rose 3.1% in January versus 2.6% in December. "Regular pay growth surged in January and with this year's spring wage negotiations set to result in stronger pay hikes than last year, wage growth will pick up further over the course of the year," Capital Economics' Marcel Thieliant says in commentary. "There's an increasingly strong case for a rate hike" at the BOJ's April 30-May 1 meeting, the head of Asia-Pacific says. The JGB 5-year yield is up 1.5 bps at 1.135%. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1947 ET - Japanese stocks may rise as concerns about U.S. tariffs and higher borrowing costs ebb for now. Nikkei futures are up 0.5% at 36985 on the SGX. USD/JPY is at 147.52, compared with 147.56 as of Friday's Tokyo stock market close. Investors are focusing on any developments related to U.S. trade policy as well as Japanese monetary policy. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 2.2% to 36887.17 on Friday. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 09, 2025 21:12 ET (01:12 GMT)

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