Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

Japan has a “free hand” to take bold action against currency moves that are not in line with fundamentals, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said, in her strongest warning yet to speculators following the yen’s weakening even after a rise in interest rates. “The moves were clearly not in line with fundamentals but rather speculative,” Katayama said in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday, referring to a sharp weakening of the yen on Friday. “Against such movements, we have made clear that we will take bold action, as stated in the Japan–US finance ministers’ joint statement,” she said. We heard from Keio University Professor Sayuri Shirai. She spoke to Bloomberg’s Annabelle Droulers and Avril Hong on the Asia Trade. Plus - Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said that artificial intelligence is starting to have a bigger impact on the US economy. For more on the AI trade and what’s ahead for the energy sector for 2026, we spoke to Peter Gardett, CEO of Noreva. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian equities opened higher, tracking Friday's gains in US stocks that helped intensify bets for a strong finish to the year. Hopes for a year-end rally have grown as dip buyers late last week helped equities recover from a slide driven by doubts over AI exuberance and the scope for Federal Reserve easing. We heard from to Vasu Menon, Managing Director for Investment Strategy at OCBC. He spoke to Bloomberg's Annabelle Droulers. Plus - Moore Threads Technology Co. introduced a new generation of chips aimed at reducing artificial-intelligence developers' dependence on Nvidia Corp.'s hardware, just weeks after pulling off one of the most successful Chinese IPOs in years. For a macro outlook on Chinese equities, we heard from Yan Wang, Macro Chief EM and China Strategist at Alpine. He spoke to Bloomberg's David Ingles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. In the US – a look ahead to U.S GDP data and a tech outlook for 2026. In the UK – a look at UK politics and what 2026 may hold in store for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In Asia – a look ahead to the challenges facing China’s economy in 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TikTok's long-delayed plan to separate from Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd. was put in motion Thursday when the video sharing sensation said it's being bought by a group of buyers led by Oracle Corp. TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew told employees that the company and ByteDance signed binding agreements to create a US joint venture majority-owned by American investors, according to an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg. Chew wrote that he was "pleased to share some great news" and said agreements with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX have been signed. The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, 2026, though Chew added that "there's more work to be done" before then. Asian equities rose after cooling US inflation data backed the case for Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts and calming tech jitters supported American stocks. We heard from Amy Xie Patrick, Head of Income Strategies at Pendal Group. She spoke to Bloomberg's Annabelle Droulers and Paul Allen. Plus - A solid outlook from giant Micron Technology Inc. underscored the voracious appetite for all things related to artificial intelligence. The S&P 500 rose nearly 1%, halting a four-day slide. We spoke to Keith Buchanan, Senior Portfolio Manager at Globalt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian stocks opened lower following US losses as global markets fell into a familiar, risk-off pattern with tech concerns weighing on stocks, and supporting shorter-maturity Treasuries and precious metals. The heavy selling in tech was a sign investors are further questioning whether companies at the vanguard of the AI boom can keep justifying lofty valuations and ambitious spending. We speak to Paul Dobson, Bloomberg's Executive Editor for Asia Markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.