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UBS Group AG has appointed an equity strategist for Japan for the first time in seven years to meet the increasing demand from domestic and overseas institutional investors. Nozomi Moriya has been named to the position, having previously worked as an analyst covering the retail sector. UBS is expanding its presence in Japan, following its takeover of rival Credit Suisse, and has made several other appointments in the retail and healthcare sectors. Japan's Nikkei index has performed well this year, with a 29% increase, second only to the Nasdaq among major global benchmarks. [Extracted from the article]

Biotech-Heavy "Nasdaq of Japan" Is Asia's Best-Performing Index (Bloomberg) -- Japan's Mothers Index recovered to the 1,000 point milestone for the first time since December 2018 as the coronavirus pandemic became an unexpected tailwind for the startup board. Healthcare stocks, including biotechnology companies, now make up 32% of the index, while IT firms are at 27% -- a stark contrast to the large manufacturer-heavy Nikkei or Topix indexes. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks rose after gains in the U.S. overnight, and futures on the S&P 500 Index edged higher. Australian stocks edged up and the local dollar dipped ahead of a Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks rose after gains in the U.S. overnight, and futures on the S&P 500 Index edged higher. Australian stocks and the local dollar were little changed ahead of a Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision. [Extracted from the article]

Tokyo shares decline led by exporters as yen strengthens Asian stocks rose, with the regional benchmark index trading at a 13-month high, after weak data on the U.S. services industries bolstered speculation that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates lower for longer. [Extracted from the article]

Investors pare bets for Fed rate hike on poor services data The Topix index fell 0.2 percent at the close in Tokyo, paring earlier losses of as much as 1 percent, with carmakers and electronic-appliance manufacturers among the industry groups contributing the most to the decline. [Extracted from the article]

Japanese benchmark index drops to lowest since October 2014 A gauge of global equities and the Nasdaq Composite Index edged nearer to a bear market, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index traded at the lowest since April 2014 amid declines in energy and technology shares. [Extracted from the article]

Against that backdrop of higher interest rates in the U.S, the BOJ introduced negative interest rates last month in Japan and said it will not hesitate to move them lower as necessary. By one measure, quarterly earnings at Japanese companies are set to retreat more than 20 percent this quarter, and for the first time since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to power in late 2012 more Japanese companies are missing forecasts than beating them. [Extracted from the article]

Tokyo Gas Co. slumped 2.3 percent after Morgan Stanley Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Co. cut its rating on the shares. The Bank of Japan concluded a two-day meeting Friday in Tokyo, with Governor Haruhiko Kuroda due to speak to reporters later in the day. [Extracted from the article]

To contact the reporters on this story: Stephen Kirkland in London at skirkland@bloomberg.net; Jeremy Herron in New York at jherron8@bloomberg.net The S&P 500 rose 0.6 percent in the holiday-shortened week amid a 5.7 percent rally in February, the best monthly performance since October 2011. [Extracted from the article]

The MSCI Emerging Market Index advanced 1.3 percent to its highest level in three years, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.7 percent to the highest since July 4. The S&P 500 slipped from a record yesterday, after gaining. [Extracted from the article]