Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition Strong Hiring Hits Fed Cut Bets, Japan Stocks Rise
4 snips
Feb 12, 2026 Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Bank, explains selective gains in Japanese stocks and Asia's role in the AI chip supply chain. Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial, breaks down stronger US payrolls, Fed rate-cut timing, and inflation risks. They discuss labor-market dynamics, yield levels, and how trade and policy shifts shape investment decisions.
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Hours Up More Than New Hires
- Employers are raising hours worked rather than massively increasing hiring, reflecting difficulty finding qualified workers.
- Roach sees firms holding on to staff amid uncertainty instead of returning to previous hiring run-rates.
Prepare For A Hot CPI Print
- Expect the upcoming CPI print to run hot given current month-on-month trends around 0.3%.
- Roach advises markets to prepare for hotter inflation readings that could delay easing.
Productivity Gains From AI Are Not Yet Here
- Roach warns AI adoption currently has low utilization in many sectors, so productivity gains remain limited.
- He expects meaningful productivity benefits from AI to appear later as utilization rises.