A pedestrian walks past the Bank of Japan (BoJ) building in central Tokyo on July 28, 2023.
Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were set for a mixed open as investors brace for the Bank of Japan’s final rate decision for 2023, as well as minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia’s December meeting.
The BOJ is expected to stick with its negative interest rate policy, according to a Reuters poll of economists. Investors will be watching out for the BOJ’s stance on its yield curve control policy.
The RBA’s minutes will detail its rationale for holding rates at its December meeting, where it kept the benchmark interest rate steady at 4.35%
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.34%, resuming its climb after the index snapped a six-day winning streak on Monday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 could go either way based on futures data, with the futures contract in Chicago at 32,785 and its counterpart in Osaka at 32,730 against the index’s last close of 32,758.98.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 16,541, pointing to a weaker open compared twith the HSI’s close of 16,629.23
Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.45% and 0.61% respectively, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat.
The S&P 500 is now 1.2% away from its all-time closing high at 4,796.56 that was reached in January 2022.
— CNBC’s Sarah Min and Hakyung Kim contributed to this report