Last week, market movements were influenced by uncertainty surrounding policies. The Bank of Japan maintained its dovish stance, keeping the policy rate steady at 0.5%. This decision came despite Tokyo's core inflation standing above 2%. Governor Ueda's statement that "normalization will take time" dashed hopes for a more hawkish signal. Consequently, the yen depreciated by 4.2% over the month, marking its steepest decline since July. Attempts by Finance Minister Katayama to verbally intervene had minimal impact on stemming the currency's slide. The incoming Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's anticipated push for aggressive fiscal expansion is further straining Japan's monetary credibility. On the other hand, the Federal Reserve made an expected rate cut, but faced dissent from three officials including Cleveland's Hammack, Dallas's Logan, and Atlanta's Bostic. This dissent indicates a growing policy divide within the committee. These developments prompted a shift towards safe-haven assets such as the U.S. dollar, short-term bonds, and defensive sectors among investors. For more details, visit Benzinga.com.