Japan's shaky government loses upper house control
While the ballot does not directly determine whether Ishiba's administration will fall, it heaps pressure on the embattled leader who also lost control of the more powerful lower house in October.
Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito returned 47 seats, short of the 50 seats it needed to ensure a majority in the 248-seat upper chamber in an election where half the seats were up for grabs.
That comes on top of its worst showing in 15 years in October's lower house election, a vote that has left Ishiba's administration vulnerable to no-confidence motions and calls from within his own party for leadership change.
Speaking late on Sunday evening after exit polls closed, Ishiba told NHK he "solemnly" accepted the "harsh result".
"We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the United States ... we must never ruin these negotiations. It is only natural to devote our complete dedication and energy to realising our national interests," he later told TV Tokyo.
Asked whether he intended to stay on as premier, he said, "that's right".
Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy, faces a deadline of August 1 to strike a trade deal with the United States or face punishing tariffs in its largest export market.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party finished second with 22 seats.
Meanwhile, the far-right Sanseito party announced its arrival in mainstream politics, adding 14 seats to one elected previously.
Launched on YouTube a few years ago, the populist party found wider appeal with its "Japanese First" campaign and warnings about a "silent invasion" of foreigners.
Opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending struck a chord with voters, as rising consumer prices - particularly a jump in the cost of rice - have sowed frustration at the government's response.
The LDP has been urging fiscal restraint, with one eye on a very jittery government bond market, as investors worry about Japan's ability to refinance the world's largest debt pile.
Any concessions the LDP must now strike with opposition parties to pass policy will only further elevate those nerves, analysts say.
"The ruling party will have to compromise in order to gain the co-operation of the opposition, and the budget will continue to expand," said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo.
"Overseas investors' evaluation of the Japan economy will also be quite harsh."
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The company Friday reported adjusted earnings per share of $9.18, below the $9.82 expected, while revenue of $13.766 billion was marginally below the $13.768 billion expected. The company said in an earnings call Friday morning that it lost 117,000 residential and small business Internet customers in the quarter, compared to about 100,000 in the year ago period. Wall Street weighs Intel earnings: The 'road to recovery is long & uncertain' Wall Street remained skeptical of Intel (INTC) after the company left the future of its manufacturing business unclear during an earnings call late Thursday. Intel stock dropped Friday despite its financial results beating expectations. 'While the headline numbers look decent vs expectations, we don't think the numbers really mattered all that much,' Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon wrote in a note to clients Friday, saying instead that investors are focused on Intel's manufacturing roadmap. Intel, once a leading global chipmaker, has fallen behind its rivals, both with its own products and in its attempt to manufacture chips for outside customers. Truist analyst William Stein said, 'The road to recovery is long & uncertain' for Intel. That's because Intel had promised that its new manufacturing process, 18A, would bring in external customers to its cash-bleeding manufacturing business, which its former CEO Pat Gelsinger launched in 2021. Now, Intel says it will use 18A only for internal products, reaching peak production at the beginning of the next decade, and that it could 'potentially' get 'external customers at some point,' as CFO David Zinsner put it. Meanwhile, Intel also left the future of its successor to 18A, the manufacturing process it calls 14A, unclear and contingent upon it getting an external customer on board. Analysts and former Intel executives said it's crucial for the company to prove it can execute 18A to draw in outside customers to use its manufacturing business in what's known as a foundry. 'We raise concern on future competitiveness of both Products and Foundry, driven by constant roadmap changes, employee churn, as well as reduced investments in future products/nodes — pivotal in l-t [long term] market share and positioning,' Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya wrote. Wall Street remained skeptical of Intel (INTC) after the company left the future of its manufacturing business unclear during an earnings call late Thursday. Intel stock dropped Friday despite its financial results beating expectations. 'While the headline numbers look decent vs expectations, we don't think the numbers really mattered all that much,' Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon wrote in a note to clients Friday, saying instead that investors are focused on Intel's manufacturing roadmap. Intel, once a leading global chipmaker, has fallen behind its rivals, both with its own products and in its attempt to manufacture chips for outside customers. Truist analyst William Stein said, 'The road to recovery is long & uncertain' for Intel. That's because Intel had promised that its new manufacturing process, 18A, would bring in external customers to its cash-bleeding manufacturing business, which its former CEO Pat Gelsinger launched in 2021. Now, Intel says it will use 18A only for internal products, reaching peak production at the beginning of the next decade, and that it could 'potentially' get 'external customers at some point,' as CFO David Zinsner put it. Meanwhile, Intel also left the future of its successor to 18A, the manufacturing process it calls 14A, unclear and contingent upon it getting an external customer on board. Analysts and former Intel executives said it's crucial for the company to prove it can execute 18A to draw in outside customers to use its manufacturing business in what's known as a foundry. 'We raise concern on future competitiveness of both Products and Foundry, driven by constant roadmap changes, employee churn, as well as reduced investments in future products/nodes — pivotal in l-t [long term] market share and positioning,' Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya wrote. Crypto stocks fall as dollar moves higher Crypto stocks fell Friday — save for Robinhood (HOOD) and PayPal (PYPL). The largest corporate holder of bitcoin, Strategy (MSTR), dropped 2.5%, while crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) fell 2% and bitcoin miner MARA Holdings (MARA) dipped 2.6%. Riot Platforms (RIOT) declined 3.6%. The moves come as the US Dollar ( strengthens amid news surrounding US trade deals and as President Trump backed off from firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell after an unusual visit to the Federal Reserve. Crypto stocks fell Friday — save for Robinhood (HOOD) and PayPal (PYPL). The largest corporate holder of bitcoin, Strategy (MSTR), dropped 2.5%, while crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) fell 2% and bitcoin miner MARA Holdings (MARA) dipped 2.6%. Riot Platforms (RIOT) declined 3.6%. The moves come as the US Dollar ( strengthens amid news surrounding US trade deals and as President Trump backed off from firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell after an unusual visit to the Federal Reserve. Stocks crawl higher at the open US stocks inched higher, near all-time highs, at the open on Friday after a week of major earnings and trade deals. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) ticked up around 0.15%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose just over 0.1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) traded just above the flat line. US stocks inched higher, near all-time highs, at the open on Friday after a week of major earnings and trade deals. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) ticked up around 0.15%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose just over 0.1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) traded just above the flat line. Dollar gains steam after Trump downplays clash with Fed Chair Powell The US dollar ( strengthened on Friday morning after President Trump downplayed a clash with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday that was part of an unusual visit to survey the Fed's building renovations. The visit came after several weeks of Trump criticizing Powell and, at one point, threatening to fire him. Trump told reporters on Friday, "I don't want to be personal" and said that the Fed visit was about helping finish the project. Later, Trump said of firing Powell: "To do that is a big move, and I just don't think it's necessary." Meanwhile, gold futures (GC=F) declined about 1% to trade at $3,341.90 per ounce as concerns about Fed independence eased. The US dollar ( strengthened on Friday morning after President Trump downplayed a clash with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday that was part of an unusual visit to survey the Fed's building renovations. The visit came after several weeks of Trump criticizing Powell and, at one point, threatening to fire him. Trump told reporters on Friday, "I don't want to be personal" and said that the Fed visit was about helping finish the project. Later, Trump said of firing Powell: "To do that is a big move, and I just don't think it's necessary." Meanwhile, gold futures (GC=F) declined about 1% to trade at $3,341.90 per ounce as concerns about Fed independence eased. Phillips 66 stock rises after beating profit estimates on higher refining margins Phillips 66 (PSX) stock rose about 2.7% in premarket trading after the US refiner reported an adjusted profit of $2.38 per share, beating Wall Street EPS estimates of about $1.71. During the quarter, Phillips 66 returned $906 million to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. Reuters reports that fuelmakers have seen an unexpected boost in profit from key products in recent months, offering relief as earnings retreated from 2022 highs, driven by a post-pandemic demand rebound and supply disruptions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The company's realized margin per barrel rose 12.4% to $11.25 in the quarter from a year ago. Its crude capacity utilization was 98%, while adjusted earnings from its refining segment rose about 30% at $392 million. Phillips 66 (PSX) stock rose about 2.7% in premarket trading after the US refiner reported an adjusted profit of $2.38 per share, beating Wall Street EPS estimates of about $1.71. During the quarter, Phillips 66 returned $906 million to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. Reuters reports that fuelmakers have seen an unexpected boost in profit from key products in recent months, offering relief as earnings retreated from 2022 highs, driven by a post-pandemic demand rebound and supply disruptions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The company's realized margin per barrel rose 12.4% to $11.25 in the quarter from a year ago. Its crude capacity utilization was 98%, while adjusted earnings from its refining segment rose about 30% at $392 million. Health insurer Centene reports surprise quarterly loss Centene's (CNC) stock fell 12% before the bell on Friday after the health insurance company reported a quarterly loss and warned of a revenue slump from government-backed plans. Read more here. Centene's (CNC) stock fell 12% before the bell on Friday after the health insurance company reported a quarterly loss and warned of a revenue slump from government-backed plans. Read more here. Google Search is readying the next generation for AI Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) not only posted a stellar quarter, it succeeded in advancing another urgent mission: convincing investors it can transition its search empire into an AI-infused one. Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban lays it out in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) not only posted a stellar quarter, it succeeded in advancing another urgent mission: convincing investors it can transition its search empire into an AI-infused one. Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban lays it out in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic data: Durable goods orders (June preliminary) Earnings: Charter Communications (CHTR) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Intel stock falls as chipmaker cuts jobs, drops factory plans Google Search is readying the next generation for AI Trump: Australia has agreed to accept American beef Who benefits if Trump drops capital gains tax on home sales Americans are struggling to pay bills and feeling anxious about it Japan pushes back against US view of trade-deal profit split Trump and Powell clash in public — then Trump takes softer tone Amazon scraps plans for $350M cloud facility in Ireland Health insurer Centene's stock falls after surprise Q2 loss Economic data: Durable goods orders (June preliminary) Earnings: Charter Communications (CHTR) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Intel stock falls as chipmaker cuts jobs, drops factory plans Google Search is readying the next generation for AI Trump: Australia has agreed to accept American beef Who benefits if Trump drops capital gains tax on home sales Americans are struggling to pay bills and feeling anxious about it Japan pushes back against US view of trade-deal profit split Trump and Powell clash in public — then Trump takes softer tone Amazon scraps plans for $350M cloud facility in Ireland Health insurer Centene's stock falls after surprise Q2 loss Trending tickers: Deckers, Strategy and centene Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Deckers Outdoor corporation (DECK) stock rose 12% before the bell after reporting that its earnings had been boosted by Ugg boots and Hoka running shoes. Net sales for both brands surpassed analysts' estimates in the fiscal first quarter ended June 30. Strategy (MSTR) stock fell over 1% premarket today. Bloomberg reported on Friday how the company launched a new kind of preferred stock and upsized the deal from $500 million to $2.8 billion, according to a person familiar with the transaction who asked not to be identified. Centene (CNC) stock fell 10% in premarket trading after the health insurance company reported a quarterly loss. Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Deckers Outdoor corporation (DECK) stock rose 12% before the bell after reporting that its earnings had been boosted by Ugg boots and Hoka running shoes. Net sales for both brands surpassed analysts' estimates in the fiscal first quarter ended June 30. Strategy (MSTR) stock fell over 1% premarket today. Bloomberg reported on Friday how the company launched a new kind of preferred stock and upsized the deal from $500 million to $2.8 billion, according to a person familiar with the transaction who asked not to be identified. Centene (CNC) stock fell 10% in premarket trading after the health insurance company reported a quarterly loss. Intel stock slides amid plans to cut 15% of workforce, cancel factories Intel (INTC) shares slid almost 6% in premarket after the struggling chipmaker said it will cut its workforce and drop plans for factories in Europe as it pursues a comeback. While the company posted a second quarter revenue beat late Thursday, its earnings fell short. Its profit forecast for the current quarter was also more downbeat than hoped: It expects to break even, rather than deliver the $0.04 earnings per share estimated. Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley reports: Read more here. Intel (INTC) shares slid almost 6% in premarket after the struggling chipmaker said it will cut its workforce and drop plans for factories in Europe as it pursues a comeback. While the company posted a second quarter revenue beat late Thursday, its earnings fell short. Its profit forecast for the current quarter was also more downbeat than hoped: It expects to break even, rather than deliver the $0.04 earnings per share estimated. Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley reports: Read more here. Oil steady as investors weigh trade optimism against potential Venezuelan supply increase Oil prices climbed overnight Thursday, driven by renewed optimism over global trade negotiations, which bolstered confidence in economic growth and energy demand. The wave of positivity managing to overshadow concerns about a possible increase in Venezuelan oil supply. Reuters reports: Read more here. Oil prices climbed overnight Thursday, driven by renewed optimism over global trade negotiations, which bolstered confidence in economic growth and energy demand. The wave of positivity managing to overshadow concerns about a possible increase in Venezuelan oil supply. Reuters reports: Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
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India Trade Pact Nears, US Beef Floods In--What Investors Should Watch Next
Australia may be on the brink of deepening its trade ties with India, according to Trade Minister Don Farrell, who suggested a broader free trade deal could have been inked months ago if not for a timing clash with the May election. Speaking at the Lowy Institute, Farrell hinted that the delay was procedural, not political, and noted that his Indian counterpart is currently focused on high-stakes tariff talks with President Donald Trump's administration. The existing FTAsigned back in April 2022cut tariffs across most sectors, but left out sensitive Australian exports like chickpeas, dairy, and wheat. Farrell expects those gaps could be closed bit by bit, as part of a multi-stage rollout. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with TSN. That optimism is surfacing just as India finalizes a major agreement with the UK and bilateral trade with Australia hits nearly A$50 billion ($32.9 billion) in 2023. Farrell said the structure of a final deal with India is likely to be incremental, owing to political realities on both sides. Still, with Canberra actively seeking to diversify away from Chinaits top trading partnera more comprehensive agreement with India could be a meaningful next step. For investors eyeing agri-exporters, particularly in grains and dairy, the next phase of negotiations could shape longer-term access to one of the world's fastest-growing consumer markets. In a separate move with potential ripple effects, Australia just lifted all remaining restrictions on US beef importsa long-standing ask from the Trump administration. The announcement triggered a celebratory post from President Trump on TruthSocial, but Farrell was quick to tamp down the political narrative, stating the decision was based on science and years of internal review. We haven't done this to win favorwe think the Americans should trade with us anyway, he said. Whether this opens the door to a broader trade pact with the US remains to be seen, but the development is unlikely to go unnoticed by investors in US meat giants like Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) or Brazil's JBS, both of which could stand to benefit from expanded market access. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.