Japan trade deal boosts Japanese equities and benefits Franklin FTSE Japan ETF, but faces issues with tariffs and market trends. Click for my FLJP update.

The market had been rattled after the EU signalled it may pursue countermeasures against US tariffs, dampening expectations for a breakthrough in negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline.

President Trump has announced a flurry of trade deals that will relieve some pressure on companies and consumers from sharply higher tariffs on imports from Japan and a handful of other Asian countries.

News of a US-Japan trade deal, though details remain vague, sent equities higher, with the Nikkei rising 3.5% during the morning session.

Japan is facing trade and political uncertainty after a historic defeat for the prime minister’s ruling party. Shigeru Ishiba is trying to buy time for his premiership following this past weekend’s election, which left the ruling bloc three seats short of a majority in the upper house.

Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida said Wednesday that a tariff deal between Japan and the United States is a

Deal-signing at the German cloud computing and software giant SAP turned cautious in the second quarter, CFO Dominik Asam told CNBC.

Gold prices fell on Wednesday as a U.S.-Japan trade deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump lifted risk appetite, while a rebound in the dollar and Treasury yields added further pressure. Spot gold was down 0.