SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said on Wednesday that Seoul is taking a close look at the U.S.-Japan trade deal, in comments to reporters before boarding a plane to Washington for talks with U.S. counterparts. South Korea is a major competitor of Japan in areas such as autos and steel, so news of Japan’s trade deal will pile pressure on Seoul to come up with its own agreement ahead of an August 1 deadline to avoid the full force of 25% reciprocal U.S. tariffs. Kim said he will have meetings with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright during his visit, among others. In a post on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump said the trade deal Japan struck with the U.S. would include $550 billion of Japanese investments in the United States. South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported last week that during trade talks earlier this month the U.S. had asked Seoul to create a large-scale investment fund to support the reconstruction of the U.S. manufacturing industry, without naming a clear source.

完全に『夏枯れなんてなかった！』という雰囲気に。特に日本市場では海外投資家の買いが目立ち、値嵩株（株価の高い銘柄）が強く、日経平均も急騰している状況です。一方、米国市場では全体的な流れに変化も見られます。 悩ましく気になっている方が多いせいか、読者の皆様から今後の見通しに関する質問を多数いただいておりますので、この記事では最新のデータや市場動向に基づいて、米国と日本の株式市場の現状を分析し、今後の...

President Trump met Japan's first female PM Sanae Takaichi, signing critical minerals deal to reduce China dependence and strengthen US-Japan alliance during Asia tour.

Investing.com-- Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida signaled that the central bank remained cautious on hiking interest rates further, amid persistent uncertainty over the impact of U.S. trade policy on the economy. Uchida’s comments came just as U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan, under which Japanese exports to the U.S. will face a 15% tariff. Speaking at a conference in Kochi, Southwestern Japan, Uchida flagged “extremely high” uncertainty over U.S. trade policy and its impact on global economic growth. He said that the BOJ will continue to hike rates if the economy and inflation grow in line with its expectations. But Uchida warned that any negative impact from U.S. tariff policies could offset strong Japanese wage growth, and could also keep the BOJ from hiking rates. “The (BOJ) needs to adjust monetary policy to best balance the upside and downside risks from the perspective of maintaining stability in economic activity and prices,” Uchida said. In addition to uncertainty over the impact of U.S. trade policies, the BOJ also has to contend with increased political uncertainty in Japan, especially after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered a bruising defeat in a recent upper house election. The central bank hiked interest rates by 25 basis points in January, but has declined to signal any further hikes, amid heightened economic and political uncertainty. Sticky Japanese inflation in recent months has pushed up expectations for more rate hikes. With valuations skyrocketing in 2024, many investors are uneasy putting more money into stocks. Unsure where to invest next? Get access to our proven portfolios and discover high-potential opportunities. In 2024 alone, ProPicks AI identified 2 stocks that surged over 150%, 4 additional stocks that leaped over 30%, and 3 more that climbed over 25%. That's an impressive track record. With portfolios tailored for Dow stocks, S&P stocks, Tech stocks, and Mid Cap stocks, you can explore various wealth-building strategies.

(Reuters) -U.S. stock index futures jumped on Wednesday after President Donald Trump struck a trade deal with Japan, bolstering expectations of more such agreements as the August 1 deadline approaches. The agreement includes lowering tariffs on Japan’s auto sector to 15% from the previous 27.5%, while duties on other Japanese goods will also be slashed to 15% from 25%. At 5:48 a.m. ET, S&P 500 E-minis were up 23.25 points, or 0.37%. Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 37.25 points, or 0.16%, and Dow E-minis were up 216 points, or 0.48%. The benchmark S&P 500 closed at a record high on Tuesday, marking its eighth record close in nearly a month, boosted by easing trade tensions, signs of a resilient U.S. economy and largely upbeat second-quarter earnings. The blue-chip Dow ended 0.4% higher and was just 1.25% shy of its all-time high. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, however, was dragged lower by losses in Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). Investors’ attention is on earnings from "Magnificent Seven" group that have helped propel U.S. stocks to all-time highs, with Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) set to report after the closing bell on Wednesday. Renewed optimism about artificial intelligence, coupled with stretched valuations, has led to elevated earnings expectations for these stocks, leaving little room for disappointment. Shares of Tesla and Alphabet were largely steady in premarket trading. Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) sank 11.7% after its quarterly profit forecast failed to impress investors, as it pointed to weaker-than-expected demand for its analog chips from some customers and underscored tariff-related uncertainty. The earnings also weighed on its peer analog chipmakers, with Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI), NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) and ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ:ON) falling between 4.7% and 6.3%. Automaker General Motors (NYSE:GM) became a casualty of the trade war on Tuesday when it said Trump’s tariffs took a $1.1 billion hit on its quarterly earnings, sending its shares down more than 8%. Other notable names reporting on Wednesday include Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS), Chipotle (NYSE:CMG), and Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT). In economic data, existing home sales numbers for June is due on the day. Thursday’s weekly jobless claims numbers and S&P Global’s flash PMI data will be closely assessed to gauge economic health in the wake of tariff uncertainties. Following a mixed set of economic data last week, traders have ruled out an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next week. Odds for a September reduction stand at 56.1%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. With GM making headlines, savvy investors are asking: Is it truly valued fairly? In a market full of overpriced darlings, identifying true value can be challenging. InvestingPro's advanced AI algorithms have analyzed GM alongside thousands of other stocks to uncover hidden gems. These undervalued stocks, potentially including GM, could offer substantial returns as the market corrects. In 2024 alone, our AI identified several undervalued stocks that later surged by 30 or more. Is GM poised for similar growth? Don't miss the opportunity to find out.