The Traderszone Network

Japanese Transport Minister Akihiro Ohta said on Friday his ministry was considering whether to revise existing laws to beef up oversight of auto parts suppliers in the wake of massive recalls of auto parts maker Takata Corp’s air bags. The spate of Takata-related recalls – more than 20 million cars have been recalled worldwide over faulty air bags – has brought regulatory oversight under scrutiny both in the United States and Japan.

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The Swiss National Bank shocked financial markets on Thursday by scrapping a three-year-old cap on the franc, sending the currency soaring against the euro and stocks plunging on fears for the export-reliant Swiss economy. Only days ago, SNB officials had described the 1.20 francs per euro cap, introduced in 2011 at the height of the euro zone crisis to fend off deflation and a recession, as a policy cornerstone.

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Revenue from its mainstay PC business fell about 3 percent to $8.9 billion in the fourth quarter from the prior quarter, raising doubts about a long-anticipated recovery of the personal computer business. “In 2015 we’re predicting kind of flat, nothing spectacular but stable, is how I would call it,” Intel Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith told Reuters in an interview.

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Adam Myers, European head of FX research at Crédit Agricole CIB, says some market participants were aware of the Swiss National Bank’s move to end the Swiss franc’s euro peg. Was it front running or just a bold call?

Both Swiss franc and yen will remain where traders flee for safety, despite the SNB’s surprise move to remove its euro peg, analysts said.

Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Friday’s session are Intel, Goldman Sachs, and Charles Schwab.
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Japan’s Fast Retailing, owner of the Uniqlo clothing chain, says it will improve working conditions at two Chinese factories operated by its suppliers, in response to allegations of labor-rights abuses at the facilities.
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