Shigeto Nagai, former Bank of Japan official and economist at Oxford Economics, now expects BOJ hikes in September and December this year and another in April 2027, lifting the policy rate to 1.75%. That path is faster and higher than his prior forecast of hikes in December this year and June 2027. He says the BOJ seeks to address yen depreciation and rising inflation expectations. Nagai adds he views the policy rate as unlikely to reach the market‑implied terminal slightly above 2%, and expects

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 opened down 15.7 points, or 0.17%, at 9,076.60 on Monday, Aug. 31.

On Aug. 28, 2026 the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and four other ministries implemented a package of real-estate measures. CITIC Securities says the rollout should help align property-credit frameworks with a higher-quality development model, leaving scope for incremental bank real-estate lending and ushering in a high-certainty improvement in asset quality. Banks’ interim reports show optimistic net interest margins, stable asset quality, broadly positive but divergent revenue performance, and continued profit-recovery momentum. Some banks have raised dividend payout ratios, supporting shareholder returns and favoring long-term investors. Looking into Q3, CITIC expects core variables—margins and asset quality—to remain stable and full-year profit trends to stay positive, with macro narratives and longer-term drivers still intact, supporting continued absolute returns for the year.