Japan Stocks Fall First Time in Three Days on U.S. Rate Outlook

KPF Jogja - Japanese stocks fell for the first time in three days as the yen held two days of gains amid speculation the Federal Reserve won’t hurry to raise interest rates.

The Topix index declined 0.3 percent to 1,587.30 as of 9:02 a.m. in Tokyo, after closing yesterday at a seven-year high. More than two stocks fell for each that rose. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 0.2 percent to 19,702.42. The yen traded at 119.75 per dollar after Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said there won’t be a “smooth upward path” for U.S. interest rates, even with the first increase potentially warranted by late 2015.

Global equity values climbed by more than $2.4 trillion last week as Fed policy makers signaled a more gradual pace of monetary tightening than previously estimated. San Francisco Fed President John Williams speaks to economists in Sydney Tuesday after Fischer’s comments Monday to the Economic Club of New York.

E-mini futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added 0.1 percent after the underlying equity measure lost 0.2 percent Monday in New York.

Source: Bloomberg

Written by: Kontak Perkasa Futures

PT.Kontak Perkasa Futures, Updated at: 8:30 AM