Ahead of Friday's holiday for the vernal equinox, the Japanese stock market had headed south again, one day after ending the four-day slide in which it had stumbled more than 1,320 points or 2.4 percent. The Nikkei 225 now sits just beneath the 53,375-point plateau and it's likely to extend its losses on Monday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is weak on soaring crude oil prices and pessimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were down and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion.
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Market Analysis
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.