{
  "id": 8173553,
  "title": "Stocks Rise as Oil Dips, Yen Weakens after BOJ Hikes as Expected",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/stocks-rise-as-oil-dips-yen-weakens-after-boj-hikes-as-expected",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-18T04:25:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
    "slug": "the-japan-news-by-the-yomiuri-shimbun",
    "url": "https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-services/reuters/20260918-349309/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asian stocks experienced an upward trend while the dollar remained stable on Friday, as investors dealt with global policymakers striving to curb inflation. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) joined the efforts by raising interest rates, a move that left the yen weaker. This decision was made despite a dissent from two board members, Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato. The yen's value increased by 0.5%, reaching 156.75 per US dollar, marking a nearly 2% rise in value for the month. Following the BOJ's decision, Fred Neumann, HSBC's chief Asia economist, expressed concerns about the central bank's cautious approach to further tightening monetary policy. However, some analysts remain optimistic, with Sarah Hammoud, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, expecting the BOJ to raise rates again in December. The Bank of England suggested the need for additional rate hikes if the Middle East conflict persists, while the Federal Reserve had already raised rates once in three years. The European Central Bank also signaled the necessity for further tightening by raising rates last week. The Reserve Bank of Australia's Governor Michele Bullock emphasized that determining if three rate hikes this year would suffice to return inflation to the 2%-3% target would be a critical question. Oil prices dropped as hopes of alternative supply routes from the Middle East reached markets, but concerns about potential strikes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis persisted, causing Brent crude futures to fall by 1.5% to $103.29 a barrel. In Asia, MSCI's broad Asia-Pacific index surged around 1%, while Japan's Nikkei rose by 0.8% and South Korea's KOSPI increased by over 2%. The euro remained stable at $1.148 but was on track for a 1% weekly decline. Gold prices rose by 0.5% to $4,361 an ounce.",
  "summary": "SINGAPORE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Asian stocks rose and the dollar held its ground on Friday as investors contended with global policymakers ramping up efforts to rein in inflation, with the Bank of Japanjoining the fray in delivering a widely expected rate hike that left the yen softer.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}