Starting with the Nikkei Average depreciation of 117 yen, Bank of Japan to decide on interest rate hike for the first time in 17 years - Governor Ueda held a press conference in the afternoon

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Bank of Japan to decide to raise interest rates for the first time in 17 years today - Governor Ueda holds a press conference in the afternoon
The results of the high-profile monetary policy meeting where the Bank of Japan discusses entering the normalization phase of monetary policy will also be announced in the afternoon of the 19th, and it is expected that interest rate hikes etc. for the first time in 17 years will be decided. President Kazuo Ueda is scheduled to hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m.

Significant wage increases for the first time in 33 years, and expectations for domestic demand stocks and small to medium stock purchases in Japan due to consumption stimulation
In response to the fact that the wage increase rate for the 2024 spring battle reached a high level of over 5% for the first time in 33 years, there is a sense of expectation that buying opportunities will come to domestic demand stocks and small to medium stocks that have been lagging behind until now in the Japanese stock market.

Bank of Japan policy “feeling of going through normalization,” major securities companies are also preparing for a turning point
Hirokazu Wakamatsu, Executive Officer and Market Operation Manager of Tokyo Tanshi, stated that “at first, market participants were skeptical about the possibility of canceling the negative interest rate policy at the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting that began today, but it is certain that the atmosphere is that they will do this already.”

Tokyo Electron - Momiai 25.3 period with a 20 to 30 percent increase in sales, led by recovery for DRAM = Nikkei
$Tokyo Electron (8035.JP)$It's a fight. The morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun dated 19th reported that there is a high probability that the company's consolidated sales for the 25.3 fiscal year will increase by 20 to 30 percent compared to the 24.3 fiscal year.

JCB and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank invest in Metaverse Development
JCB and $Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.JP)$The bank invested in Logsys (Tokyo/Chiyoda), which develops the metaverse (virtual space) business. The combined investment amount of the two companies is 700 million yen. Logsys uses the funds raised to develop digital ID wallets that can digitally manage and certify personal information such as age and qualifications.

Toray - 6 days of continuous growth, 80% reuse of lithium collected from batteries for practical use in fiscal year 27 = Nikkei
$Toray Industries (3402.JP)$It continued to grow for 6 days. The morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun dated 19th reported that the company has made plans to develop a new technology that can recover and use 80% or more of the rare metal (rare metal) lithium from used lithium-ion batteries.