Japan
- Asia-Pacific markets set to open mostly lower on penultimate day of the year - Investors will be focused on China's military exercises around Taiwan today, after it announced new drills surrounding the island Monday.
- China Will Hold Live-Fire Military Exercises Around Taiwan - The exercises ended months of relative calm across the Taiwan Strait, and came after the Trump administration announced plans for arms sales to the island.
- Japan's Cabinet OKs record defense budget that aims to deter China - Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the coming year, aiming to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defense with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals as tensi
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- Asia markets trade mixed in thin Christmas Eve trading - Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Wednesday amid thinner trading as several indexes are set to close early in lieu of the Christmas Eve holiday.
- Japan's new flagship H3 rocket fails to put geolocation satellite into orbit - Japan's space agency said its H3 rocket carrying a navigation satellite failed to put the payload into a planned orbit, a setback for the country's new flagship rocket and its space launch program. Monday's failure is the second for Japan'
- Gold and silver prices soar to new highs as the yellow metal reemerges as a hedge - It comes as fiscal deficits and the race for the next chair of the Federal Reserve weighs on investors' minds.
- Asia-Pacific markets poised for gains ahead of China's key lending rate decision - Asia-Pacific markets were set to climb Monday as investors look toward benchmark lending rate decisions coming out of China later in the day.
- Bank of Japan Raises Interest Rates to Highest Level in 30 Years - The Bank of Japan moved to slow inflation as the prime minister is borrowing more to fund an ambitious effort to build up industry and support households.
- Asia-Pacific markets rise as investors await Bank of Japan decision - Asia-Pacific markets rose as investors on look toward the Bank of Japan decision coming out later in the day.