Group 1 - The concept of a $2,000 "dividend" check for each American, linked to tariff revenue, has been proposed by President Trump but is not yet approved by Congress [1] - The potential impact of such checks on the stock market raises questions for investors, as historical data from the pandemic shows that direct payments influenced trading activity and stock prices [2][3] - During the 2020-2021 stimulus checks, approximately $814 billion was distributed, with 10% to 15% of those payments reportedly flowing into the stock market [4] Group 2 - If new checks were announced, a short-term market reaction could occur as investors anticipate increased consumer spending, although not all sectors may benefit equally [5] - Historical patterns indicate that "high retail" stocks experienced abnormal returns of about 5% to 7% following the first and second rounds of checks, but the impact diminished by the third round [7] - Economists express skepticism about another round of checks due to ongoing inflation concerns, which remain a significant political and policy issue [9]

Japan’s economy shrank in the three months through September, the government confirmed in a revised report, giving further justification for Takaichi’s stimulus package https://t.co/y2Ys6nIdAe ...

Market Trends & Global Economy - Global equities experienced a selloff, influenced by concerns over AI, Federal Reserve rate cut uncertainties, and fiscal packages [1][49] - The MSCI All Country World Index fell almost 3% this week, marking its sharpest weekly drop since April [3] - Procyclical risk assets saw sharp declines [4] - The US dollar is benefiting as a safe haven amid risk-off sentiment [5] - G20 summit marred by diplomatic dispute between South Africa and the U S over participation [1][26][49] - US accounts for only 13% of global trade [33] Asia-Pacific Market Analysis - Asian equities, particularly Chinese equities, could benefit from domestic stimulus [20][21] - A miserable day to end the week in Asia, with another day of declines [7] - Tech-heavy indexes in Asia are taking a beating, down about 35% [8] - Japan's CPI numbers came out at 3%, higher than the BOJ's target of 2%, putting more pressure on the BOJ to hike rates [9][54] - Japan's stimulus package is 27% higher than the predecessor [9] Company Performance & Valuations - S&P valuations are at approximately 216%, pulling back from recent highs of around 23% [6] - SoftBank is down by 105% [8] - Investec's interim profit declined for the first time since 2021 due to a slowdown in its African unit [48][55][56] Cryptocurrency Market - Crypto markets have extended their crash, with Bitcoin trading around $86000 [74] - More than $1 trillion worth of value has been wiped out across the digital asset world [74] - Institutional investors are continuing to accumulate Bitcoin, while retail investors are selling [75][76]

Japanese government bonds extended their losses as markets braced for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s stimulus package, set to be unveiled on Friday https://t.co/kNHN1gX4W3 ...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing her first major market test as jitters over the government’s impending stimulus package threaten to derail the rally her election helped ignite https://t.co/mJwmNvuSN4 ...

Economic Policy - Japanese Prime Minister aims to use stimulus package to jump-start the economy [1] - The stimulus package intends to initiate a new growth strategy through investment [1]