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Asian stocks rallied on Wednesday as investors returned to semiconductor shares after a bruising sell-off, taking their cue from a Wall Street rebound even as Brent crude pushed further above $91 a barrel. MSCI's Asia-Pacific gauge outside Japan gained 1.2%, while South Korea's Kospi surged more than 6% and Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 1.9%.
Japanese stocks were higher following a recovery in U.S. technology stocks overnight.
Japan's imports jumped to a record high in June, government data showed on Wednesday, as a weak yen and soaring oil prices drove up import costs and inflation, leaving the central bank in a policy bind.
The Nikkei 225 Index continued its freefall as technology companies like Softbank, Tokyo Electron, Kioxia, and Advantest plunged ahead of the upcoming big-tech earnings. It plunged by over 4%, reaching its lowest level since June 11.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:EWJ) is the default way for American investors to gain exposure to Japan.
Japan's Finance Minister just urged the world's largest pension fund to redirect its money, and even a small shift in its carefully balanced portfolio could send shockwaves through currency and bond markets that investors are only beginning to price in.
Lately, the land of the rising sun has been the land of the falling yen. While single-country equity exposure to Japan has provided investors with relative outperformance year-to-date (YTD), they appear to be better off shedding the currency drag.
A large and powerful typhoon approached a remote chain of islands in Japan's southwest on Friday, prompting authorities to warn of violent winds, torrential rain, landslides and flooding in what could be the region's most destructive storm in years.