WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

DXJS tracks a dividend-weighted index of Japanese small-cap stocks. The fund is hedged for currency fluctuations between the USD and JPY.

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF

Xtrackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund

iShares MSCI Japan ETF

iShares MSCI Japan Value ETF

First Trust Japan AlphaDEX Fund

Franklin FTSE Japan Hedged ETF

Franklin FTSE Japan ETF

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Japan Equity ETF

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF

iShares JPX-Nikkei 400 ETF

iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF

Today's data were a mixed bag, but the Bank of Japan will pay more attention to the sharp rise in Tokyo's inflation. Tokyo consumer prices rose more than expected to 2.6% YoY (vs 2.2% in July, 2.3% market consensus).

Japan: Hotter Than Expected Inflation, Output Rebound Should Support The BoJ's Policy Normalization

Japan's economy enjoyed a strong second quarter, according to official data, which corroborates recent robust survey data. Gross domestic product rose 0.8% in the three months to June, according to initial estimates from the Cabinet Office.

Third Quarter Economy Signals Sought From Flash PMI Data After Japan GDP Shows Rebound

Invesco Currencyshares Japanese Yen Trust

ProShares Ultra Yen

ProShares UltraShort Yen

The “real” policy rate is massively negative, with the new policy rate of 0.25% far below Core CPI of 2.6%. When QT reaches about ¥3 trillion per month in 2026, it would represent a reduction of its JGB holdings of about 0.5% per month.

BoJ Hikes By 25 Bps And Starts QT: Too Little Too Late, But In Right Direction To Prop Up The Plunging Yen

Japan has been struggling for some time to generate enough velocity in inflation to escape the gravitational pull of deflation. The story for the rest of 2024 and into 2025 is now centered on whether inflation will be sustained at the BOJ's 2% target.

Escape Velocity: Japan's Drift Toward Sustained Inflation

In March, the Bank of Japan abolished its 8-year-old negative interest rate policy, hiking rates for the first time in 17 years by raising its benchmark rate to 0-0.1%. To combat inflation while also avoiding an excessive surge in interest payments, the BOJ is considering passive quantitative tightening.

What's The Next Step For The Bank of Japan?

We'd rather downplay the weaker-than-expected manufacturing data and focus on a solid recovery in retail sales and a reacceleration in inflation, which will be welcomed by the Bank of Japan. Inflation has been quite choppy due to various government programmes and utility prices.

Mixed Japanese Data Supports BoJ's Policy Normalization

By end-April 2024, Japanese equities had outperformed the FTSE All-World index over 12 months and in the year to date. Japan has undertaken significant structural corporate reforms in recent years.

What Has Led To Japan's Come-Back?

A weak yen is unlikely to end the positive momentum in Japanese equities. The drivers of the recent rally remain, so we stay overweight Japanese stocks.

Weak Yen Unlikely To End Japan's Rally

March activity data was a mixed bag in Japan. Weak manufacturing weighed on growth in the first quarter of the year.

Japanese Industrial Production Strengthens As Retail Sales Disappoint

Many global investors opting to participate in the Japanese stock rally are leaning into large-caps and related ETFs. They've been rewarded for that faith, as highlighted by the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ) returning 20.2% YTD.

Japanese Small-Caps Demand Attention

Inflation slowed down in March but underlying inflationary pressures are still alive. The BoJ's pause at its next week's meeting is widely expected but markets will pay more attention to the BoJ's quarterly outlook report.

Cooler Inflation Ahead Of The Bank of Japan Meeting

Japan's equity benchmark, the Nikkei 225 Index, has been on a tear in 2024, eclipsing its previous high set back in 1989. As of early April, the index is hovering near 40,000. Solid economic growth, a revamp in the country's tax-free stock investment program and corporate governance reform have helped propel Japanese equities to record highs.

Can Japan's Stock Market Continue Its Record-Setting Run?

The Bank of Japan is set to normalise monetary policy when certain conditions are met, namely inflation, positive real cash earnings, and a recovery in domestic demand growth. We expect the window for normalisation to open from July for about a year before inflation begins to fall below 2%.

The Bank of Japan's New Path Ahead

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

WisdomTree India Earnings Fund

By Jeff Weniger, CFA, Head of Equity Strategy Key Takeaways The Nikkei 225 index reaching new all-time highs, surpassing the previous record set in 1989, is a significant psychological achievement for Japan. Despite Japan's current recession, the long-term effects of Abenomics, particularly corporate governance reform, are influencing market sentiment and investment in Japanese stocks.

Japanese Stocks Are Red Hot

Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF

GraniteShares Gold Shares

Invesco DB Precious Metals Fund

SPDR Gold Trust

Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN

SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust

Aberdeen Standard Precious Metals Basket Trust

iShares Gold Trust

iShares Gold Strategy ETF

iShares Gold Trust Micro

FT Cboe Vest Gold Target Income ETF

VanEck Merk Gold Trust

Sprott Physical Gold Trust

Sprott ESG Gold ETF

Aberdeen Standard Gold ETF Trust

The Bank of Japan's historic move to end the country's negative interest rate policy after nearly two decades triggered a jolt upward to new all-time highs for gold against the yen. The BoJ announced it will now hold short-term rates at a still-accommodative 0% to 0.1% and is getting rid of its yield curve control program and ETF purchases.

The End Of Japan's Negative Interest Rates: What It Means For Gold

Japan's private sector picked up growth momentum into the end of the first quarter, according to flash PMI data.

Japan Flash PMI Signals Accelerating Growth Momentum And Rising Inflation In March 2024

Kazuo Ueda becomes Governor of the Bank of Japan, continuing the loose monetary policies implemented by his predecessor. The BOJ raises short rates from -0.1% to 0.1%, becoming the last central bank to exit a Negative Interest Rate Policy.

End Of An Era - Bank of Japan Reverses Negative Interest Rate Policy

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates for the first time since 2007 and has eliminated the yield curve control framework. According to the central bank, the virtuous cycle between wages and prices was assessed to have come into sight, bringing the 2% inflation target within a sustainable and stable possibility by the end of fiscal year 2025.

Flash Insights: Bank of Japan - A 'Watchful' Adjustment

The Bank of Japan has now ended decades of unconventional and aggressive monetary easing. Strong wage negotiation results played a crucial role in today's move.

Bank of Japan Pivot Proves Underwhelming For Markets

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund

Investors appear increasingly optimistic regarding equity performance in the second half. However, frothy markets continue to create challenges this quarter and advisors looking to find opportunities within equities this year don't want to miss the recent 2024 Equity Symposium hosted by VettaFi.

What You Might Have Missed at the 2024 Equity Symposium

Japanese stocks have been on the hottest ride over the past several months, with the Nikkei 225 Index now breaching the 40,000 milestone for the first time.

Japan Nikkei Tops 40,000: Currency-Hedged ETFs Win

With the Nikkei Index in Japan soaring to record highs even as the country slips into a recession, there are concerns that Japanese stocks are getting ahead of themselves. The MSCI Japan Index is higher by 3.78% over the past month.

Euphoria Not an Issue for Japan ETFs

Japan's private sector activity broadly stagnated in February according to flash PMI data, attributed to a combination of slowing services activity growth and an acceleration in manufacturing output contraction. A sharper decline in goods new orders, underpinned by sluggish demand conditions, also largely offset improved demand for services.

Flash PMI Signal Cooling Inflation And Stagnating Private Sector Activity In Japan

iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF

SmartETFs Asia Pacific Dividend Builder ETF

iShares Asia 50 ETF

Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Developed Asia EX-Japan ETF

iShares Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF

iShares MSCI Philippines ETF

iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Japan ETF

iShares MSCI Australia ETF

iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF

iShares MSCI Singapore ETF

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF

Franklin FTSE Australia ETF

Franklin FTSE Asia ex Japan ETF

Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF

Franklin FTSE Taiwan ETF

First Trust Asia Pacific ex-Japan AlphaDEX Fund

SPDR S&P Emerging Asia Pacific ETF

Xtrackers International Real Estate ETF

iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF

Direxion MSCI Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares

iShares MSCI Thailand ETF

Global X MSCI Vietnam ETF

VanEck Vectors Vietnam ETF

Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF

While the China macro story of ongoing transition is a headwind to the rest of Asia, there is more to the region's economic health than this.

Asia-Pacific Is Not Just China

Japan's economic growth is projected to decelerate to 0.9% in 2024 and 0.8% in 2025. Government policies have helped the recovery of Japanese stocks and will continue to be a positive factor going forward.

News for WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund ETF (DXJS)