News

Golden Ten Data reported on April 14 that an Okasan Securities economist stated that as the mechanism for simultaneous increases in wages and prices in Japan becomes more active, there is a growing sense that the Bank of Japan is lagging behind in policy response. For the government led by the Prime Minister, it is important to put the central bank on the path of raising rates, rather than masking inflationary pressures through large-scale subsidies and consumption tax cuts. Given the high uncertainty in the Middle East, the overnight index swap market estimates about a 40% probability that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates in April this year.

Glonghui, April 14 — According to analysts at Nomura Securities, due to weak demand for electric vehicle batteries, LG Chem’s cathode product shipments may decline significantly in 2026, affecting its profitability. Analysts currently expect the Korean chemical company to post a net loss of 230 billion KRW this year, whereas they previously forecast a net profit of 648 billion KRW. They anticipate that LG Chem’s 2026 cathode product shipments will be less than half the 2024 level. Nomura values the advanced materials business division, which includes its cathode business, at 5.4 trillion KRW, down from the previous estimate of 6.5 trillion KRW. Nomura also lowered its valuation of LG’s battery business to 46.9 trillion KRW from the prior estimate of 48.3 trillion KRW.

Foresight News reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) jointly held the third Market Finance Conference last night at the IMF headquarters in Washington. The conference focused on how new financial market technologies and products are reshaping capital market risk distribution, particularly regarding the tokenization of financial products and retail investors’ exposure to illiquid assets, and analyzed their potential impact on financial stability. Highlights of the event included a fireside chat between U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins and IOSCO Chairman Jean-Paul Servais, as well as discussions featuring senior representatives from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, France’s AMF, the UK’s FCA, India’s SEBI, Circle, DTCC, KKR, Robinhood, Moody’s, and other regulators and industry experts.