Asian Stocks Rise, Dollar Falls as Traders Await Japanese Central Banker Speech

Key Takeaways:

* Asian equities advanced as the dollar declined, with traders focusing on a key address by a Bank of Japan official.
* Japan's stock market rebounded, supporting the MSCI Asia Pacific Index.
* Federal Reserve's decision to maintain interest rates had little impact on market direction.
* Mixed earnings results from major US companies added to the uncertainty.
* Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino's speech emerged as a focal point, as traders anticipate a hawkish tone.
* The yen strengthened against the dollar on expectations of a more aggressive monetary policy stance from the BOJ.
* SoftBank shares declined initially, but AI-related news later lifted sentiment for tech stocks.
* US futures indicated a reversal of Wednesday's modest losses.
* Key market events for the week include ECB rate decision and US GDP data.

Market Movement Summary:

Stocks:

* S&P 500 futures: +0.4%
* Nikkei 225 futures: -0.4%
* S&P/ASX 200 futures: +0.5%
* Japan's Topix: +0.1%
* Euro Stoxx 50 futures: +0.1%

Currencies:

* Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index: -0.1%
* Euro/USD: $1.0420 (little changed)
* Japanese Yen/USD: 154.60 (JPY 0.4% gain)
* Offshore Yuan/USD: 7.2632 (little changed)
* Australian Dollar/USD: $0.6224 (AUD 0.1% loss)

Cryptocurrencies:

* Bitcoin: $105,301.37 (1.5% gain)
* Ether: $3,186.26 (1.4% gain)

Bonds:

* US 10-year Treasury yield: 4.52% (little changed)
* Japan's 10-year bond yield: 1.210% (+2 basis points)
* Australia's 10-year bond yield: 4.38% (+1 basis point)

Commodities:

* West Texas Intermediate crude: little changed
* Spot gold: little changed