Japan stocks set to slip ahead of central bank monetary policy decision
SINGAPORE — Shares in Japan looked set for a lower start on Thursday as investors await the Bank of Japan’s latest monetary policy announcement.
Futures pointed to a lower open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 28,720 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 28,700. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 29,098.24.
Japan’s retail sales data for September is set to be released at 7:50 a.m. HK/SIN. The Bank of Japan is also set to announce its latest monetary policy decision on Thursday. The central bank is expected to hold steady on its monetary policy settings, according to Reuters.
Shares in Australia declined in morning trade as the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.36%.
Overnight stateside, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 266.19 points to 35,490.69 while the S&P 500 slipped about 0.51% to 4,551.68. The Nasdaq Composite was flat at 15,235.84.
Currencies
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 93.802 — still off levels around 94 seen recently.
The Japanese yen traded at 113.74 per dollar, stronger then levels above 114 seen earlier in the week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7503, off levels around $0.753 seen earlier this week.