Japanese banks

SBI Holdings, the Japanese financial services group led by CEO Yoshitaka Kitao, is seeing a spike in search interest. No specific event has been confirmed behind the trend; the company is known for its securities business, banking operations and heavy involvement in crypto and fintech ventures, so attention may relate to any of these areas.

Greg Keeley, chief operating officer of SMBC Americas, has left the Japanese bank's Americas arm, according to an internal email sent to staff on Monday. Keeley had joined the company only last year. The news is circulating among banking and financial services professionals, with industry observers noting the relatively short tenure and the lack of a stated reason for his exit so far.

Investment strategist Ed Yardeni says the current global bond market sell-off is driven primarily by the unwinding of the yen carry trade, triggered by Bank of Japan rate hikes. As Japanese rates rise, investors are pulling cheap yen-funded money out of other markets, pressuring bond prices worldwide. Analysts are watching how far the BoJ will go and whether the reversal deepens volatility across global fixed income.

Forecasters expect Japan's retail sales for August to extend their run of year-on-year increases when the data is released. The preview points to continued resilience in consumer spending, a key gauge for the Bank of Japan's policy outlook and for analysts assessing the strength of the country's economic recovery.