Japan's Nikkei Share Average Down 1.3% At 56732.05

Japan's TOPIX Index Down 1.0% At 3812.44

Japan's Nikkei Average Futures Down 0.8% In Early Trade

Japan Jan Overall Consumer Inflation Slows To Below 2% For First Time Since March 2022

Japan Jan Nationwide Overall CPI +1.5% Year-On-Year

[Trump Declares: America Has Won The Battle Against The Cost Of Living] US President Trump Declared Victory In The Fight Against Cost Of Living Concerns. This Marks A New Narrative In His Approach: Attempting To Deny Any Problems With His Economic Agenda While Simultaneously Boasting About Stock Market Performance To Assert The Success Of His Tariff Plans. "Affordability. Have You Noticed Which Word Hasn't Been Around For The Past Two Weeks? It's 'affordability.' Because I Won. I Won The Battle For Affordability," Trump Said During A Visit To The Key Swing State Of Georgia

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index Down 0.3% At 9055.80 Points In Early Trade

Business Cycle Barometer: S&P: Risk Of USA Recession Falls Amid Resilient Growth

[White House Advisor Yared Defends Hassett's Criticism Of Fed Research, Denies Attack On Central Bank Independence] A Senior Economic Advisor To US President Trump Defended The White House's Criticism Of The Federal Reserve's Latest Research On Tariffs, Denying That It Constitutes An Attack On The Central Bank's Independence. "Criticizing A Study By Federal Reserve Researchers Is Not An Attack On The Fed's Independence," Said Pierre Yared, Acting Chairman Of The White House Council Of Economic Advisers. Yared, Who Expressed Cautious Optimism About Continued Economic Growth In 2026, Responded To Recent Research Suggesting That Over 90% Of Tariff Costs Are Passed On To Consumers. "I Think It's An Exaggeration To Consider Comments On A Specific Study As An Attack On The Fed's Independence," He Said