BANK OF JAPAN

Dow futures signal that the blue chip index will open above its recent record high.

Asian stock markets advanced Wednesday as sentiment was buoyed after the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a new record high.

Haruhiko Kuroda, Tokyo's nominee to be Bank of Japan's head honcho, vows to fight against deflation.

The yen plummets, the Nikkei pops and the world's G-20 finance leaders say "ho-hum" regarding Japan's forced currency devaluation.

Foreign-exchange traders will be closely watching the G20 meeting in Russia. Currency manipulation will likely dominate the discussions.

A weaker yen will be welcome news to Japan’s exporting companies, after enduring a prolonged bout of "endaka," or a strong yen.

Asian stock markets mostly fell on Wednesday, with the Japanese Nikkei reporting its first three-day decline in two months.

Asian stock markets mostly advanced Tuesday after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised its inflation target and adopted an open-ended asset purchasing program at the end of its two-day policy meeting.

The Japanese yen fell Tuesday against the dollar after the Bank of Japan raised the inflation target to 2 percent from 1 percent.

Bank of Japan surprised markets by doubling its inflation target to 2 percent and adopting an open-ended commitment to buy assets.

Asian stock markets advanced Friday as sentiment was buoyed following the release of improved economic data in both the U.S. and China.

The U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open Wednesday with markets prepared to reopen after Christmas holiday.

Asian stock markets mostly advanced Wednesday with Japanese shares extending their gains after rally in the previous session on expectations that incoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will pursue drastic stimulus measures to boost the economy.

The yen hit a 20-month low against the dollar Tuesday as Japan's incoming prime minister stepped up pressure on the Bank of Japan to ease monetary policy, while the dollar was buoyed by uncertainty about U.S. budget talks.

The U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open Wednesday ahead of the Census Bureau’s data on housing starts and building permits.

Asian stock markets advanced Wednesday on hopes that the U.S. lawmakers will soon arrive at a consensus to avoid the "fiscal cliff” and the Japanese Central Bank will add to economic stimulus buoyed sentiment.

This week, the economic data releases will take a back seat as the fiscal cliff negotiations dominate the agenda.

Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after U.S. President Barack Obama made a positive comment on the fiscal cliff Wednesday.

Asian stock markets mostly advanced Tuesday as sentiment turned positive overnight on hopes that U.S. lawmakers will soon arrive at a consensus to avoid the "fiscal cliff.”

The Bank of Japan Tuesday kept its key policy rate unchanged and refrained from announcing any monetary easing measures in spite of the political pressures to pursue aggressive stimulus steps for reviving the economic growth momentum.

Asian markets rose in the week with investor sentiment turning positive following the encouraging economic indicators from the U.S.