The Nikkei average started with an increase of 171 yen in exports in May and was positive for 6 consecutive months, and the trade balance was in deficit of 1,221.3 billion yen

Top news
The yen rose to the latter half of the 157 yen range, and US interest rates declined due to retail sales - risk appetite is heavy
The yen exchange rate of the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on the morning of the 19th rose from the evening before to the latter half of the $1 = 157 yen range. Long-term interest rates declined in response to retail sales that fell below expectations in the US, and they took over the trend where dollars were sold. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of risk appetite and declining volatility due to stock appreciation, demand for carry transactions to buy high-interest currency by selling low-interest yen weighs on yen.

Exports increased 13.5% in May, positive for 6 consecutive months, trade balance deficit of 1,221.3 billion yen
Japan's exports increased 13.5% from the same month last year in May, for the sixth consecutive month. The growth rate exceeded market expectations of 12.7%. The trade balance after deducting imports (9.5% increase) from exports was negative for the second consecutive month, with a deficit of 1,221.3 billion yen.

Norinchukin to sell US and European government bonds equivalent to 10 trillion yen - final deficit of 1.5 trillion yen this fiscal year
The Norinchukin Bank plans to sell the equivalent of approximately 10 trillion yen of US and European government bonds it holds. Determine losses due to foreign debt investments that have been misread. The spokesperson for Norinchukin made it clear.

Pay attention to Kyoto Financial Group and Hachijuni Bank, and the perspective on capital policy has become stricter - Regional Bank Shareholders' Meeting
Regional banks will also enter general shareholders' meeting season at the end of this month. Even in regional banks that have the characteristics of community-based finance that emphasizes long-term transaction relationships, domestic and international investors' views on policy holdings, return on equity (ROE), etc. are becoming more severe.

Sakura Internet - A purchasing subsidiary received a large order for a complete cloud service of approximately 2.79 billion yen
$SAKURA Internet(3778.JP)$It's a buying trend. The company announced on the 18th that its consolidated subsidiary Planus Solutions received an order for the “Reiwa 6 Cloud Service Package for Large-scale Language Model Construction” from the Information and Systems Research Organization National Institute of Informatics on the same day.

Nintendo - to release new Mario RPG and “Zelda” series = Nikkei
$Nintendo(7974.JP)$It continues to grow. The electronic edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported at 0:37 on the 18th that the company announced that it will release completely new popular software such as “Mario & Luigi RPG” and “Super Mario Party” for the main game console “Nintendo Switch” in the fall of 2024.