Economic indicators released during Tokyo trading hours included Japan's corporate profits and capital investment, Australia's housing construction approvals and China's manufacturing PMI, while statements and talks involving Japanese and US officials, as well as developments in the Middle East, were also reported.
Japan's corporate profits in the second quarter rose 24.6% year on year, exceeding the 15.2% forecast. Capital investment in the second quarter rose 1.6%, turning positive from 0.0% previously on a year-on-year basis. By contrast, Australia's housing construction approvals in July fell 3.6% month on month, a smaller decline than the forecast of 5.0%.
China's RatingDog manufacturing PMI for August came in at 51.5, exceeding the forecast of 51.0 and the previous reading of 50.9. Regarding comments from officials, it was reported that officials at Japan's Ministry of Finance understand the Bank of Japan's independence and believe that the Bank of Japan will make appropriate monetary policy decisions. Finance Minister Katayama (片山) and US Treasury Secretary Bessent held talks and agreed that coordinated intervention by Japan and the US would be based on international agreements and that stable foreign exchange markets are important.
Regarding Iran, US President Trump was reported to have said that he was considering limited attacks, stating that he would "deliver a devastating blow to Iran," while UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Operations) reported that a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz had come under attack. In Europe, Bank of Finland Governor Olli Rehn suggested that a prolonged conflict could cause inflation to remain elevated.