World Market News of the 16 February with FXOpen #japanrecession #boj #sp500 #nasdaq100 #gasprices

Japan Slipped into a Technical Recession Japan’s central bank is expected to exit its negative interest rate regime this spring, though sluggish growth will limit its ability to alleviate depreciation pressure on the yen, according to a former Bank of Japan board member. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda is under pressure to stem yen depreciation driven by the divergence between high US interest rates and Japan’s ultra easy policy. Yet, he is also constricted by high inflation that BOJ policymakers still deem unsustainable, even as it crimped domestic demand and tipped the economy into a technical recession. That surprise contraction meant Japan’s economy is now the world’s fourth largest, falling behind Germany. Source: CNBC S&P 500 Hits Fresh Record as Stocks Recover from CPI Rout Stocks popped on Thursday, with the S&P 500 hitting a fresh record high, despite a disappointing retail sales report that raised questions about a “soft landing“ scenario for the US economy.