Finance
Morning Bid: Stocks Buoyant but Japan Vote Brings Risk
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 18, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 18, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGlobal stocks rise on economic optimism, but Japan's election poses risks. Political instability affects Japanese markets while U.S. economy shows resilience.
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Stella Qiu
Share markets continue to defy gravity. Wall Street closed at yet another record high as investors latched onto positive economic signals, spurring a rally in most Asian markets that looks set to continue in Europe.
But a new source of worry has cropped up in Japan, where an upper house election on Sunday threatens the majority of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition. The heightened political risk is weighing down Japanese shares, bonds and the yen.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest since late 2021 but Tokyo's Nikkei slipped 0.3%, while the yen was headed for a second straight week of losses, down about 0.7% to 148.45 per dollar and near a two-month low.
Yields on 10-year JGBs slipped 1 basis point to 1.545% on Friday but have not strayed far from a 17-year high of 1.585% hit earlier in the week.
European share markets are set for a higher open, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures up 0.3%.
Japan's Sunday election could be its most consequential upper house election in years, potentially adding to political instability at a time of uncertainty over interest rates, mounting concerns about fiscal sustainability and little progress in trade talks with the U.S.
Japan's core inflation slowed in June but stayed above the central bank's 2% target, highlighting the cost-of-living challenge that has been plaguing Ishiba.
Apart from that, investors appear pretty happy with a still-resilient U.S. economy and robust corporate earnings. Wall Street futures are a tad firmer while results at Netflix exceeded forecasts, in part due to a weaker dollar, which could bode well for corporate America's export earnings.
The economic and event calendars are mostly barren for the rest of the day. Fed Governor Christopher Waller reiterated his support for a rate cut at the end of this month, citing mounting risks to the economy.
Fed funds futures, however, imply next to no chance of a move on July 30, while a September rate cut is just about 60% priced in. Total easing of 45 bps is expected this year.
Key developments that could influence markets on Friday:
-- Germany PPI for June
-- German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel speak on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Durban
-- U.S. University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey
(By Stella Qiu; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
Japan's upper house election on Sunday could threaten the majority of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition, adding to political instability amid uncertainty over interest rates.
Share markets have been buoyant, with Wall Street closing at another record high, and most Asian markets experiencing a rally, reflecting positive economic signals.
Japan's core inflation slowed in June but remained above the central bank's 2% target, highlighting ongoing cost-of-living challenges.
Fed Governor Christopher Waller expressed support for a rate cut at the end of the month, citing mounting risks to the economy, although futures imply little chance of a move on July 30.
Key developments include Germany's PPI for June and the U.S. University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey, which could influence market trends.
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