Sony Financial Group CEO Toshihide Endo strikes the trading bell during  the company's listing ceremony at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 29, 2025
Sony Financial surges in spinoff listing in Tokyo trading debut
The reference price for Sony ’s financial unit was set at ¥150 last week, which would translate into a market capitalization of about ¥1 trillion ($6.7 billion).
An Iranian man checks a rug at a shop selling antique and expensive carpets in northern Tehran on Sept. 9.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 29, 2025
Iran's carpet industry unraveling under sanctions
The Persian rug risks becoming a relic of a lost golden age, with its legacy hanging by a thread.
Stock picking using ChatGPT requires some financial knowledge and even its adopters say there is a high risk of getting it wrong before getting it right.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 25, 2025
'ChatGPT, what stocks should I buy?' AI fuels boom in robo-advisory market
Thanks to AI, anyone can select stocks, monitor them and obtain investment analysis that was once only available to big banks or institutional investors.
In April 2022, the Tokyo Stock Exchange reorganized its four markets into three sections: Prime, Standard and Growth.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2025
In fourth year of TSE reform, listed firms face pivotal choices
The TSE reorganized its four markets into three sections, then disclosed that 208 companies did not meet the criteria for continued listing on these markets.
A Louis Vuitton store in Seoul. South Koreans’ enduring love for luxury, coupled with a resilient economy and surging consumer confidence, has made the market a bright spot for top industry names.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 25, 2025
LVMH bets on South Korea to spur growth amid U.S. and China uncertainty
The group’s two largest fashion labels, Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, are both looking to expand their flagship stores in Seoul.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda announces the central bank's plan to start offloading its massive exchange-traded fund holdings, at a news conference in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 23, 2025
BOJ seeks to remove stocks overhang with slow sell-down of ETFs
The century-long plan to offload its massive holdings of ETFs, through which it indirectly owns about 7% of Japanese stocks, could begin in early 2026.
Gantry cranes and container ships at the Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai on May 14. China is hurtling toward a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 23, 2025
China floods the world with cheap exports after Trump's tariffs
The export surge is causing governments to weigh the potential damage to their domestic industries against the risk of antagonizing Beijing.

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Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?