Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

Jed Ellabrook, portfolio manager specializing in AI-driven market disruption. Isabel Reynolds, Tokyo bureau chief covering Japan-U.S. trade and politics. They discuss Japan’s $36B investment tranche and major energy projects in Ohio, Georgia and Texas. They dig into tariffs, private funding versus guarantees, geopolitical optics with Washington, and how AI volatility is roiling markets and shifting winners in infrastructure and software.

Stephanie Leung, Chief Investment Officer at StashAway, is a markets and AI-focused investment strategist. She discusses AI-driven shifts in market sentiment and which software firms face existential risk. She explains how AI agents and models change software use and why AI demand affects memory chips and hardware value. She also ties Lunar New Year themes to expected market volatility.

Tania Archibald, CEO of BlueScope Steel, on earnings, capital spending shifts, shareholder returns and decarbonization projects. Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg Markets Live strategist, on Japan's weak Q4 GDP, inflation splits, FX moves and market implications. They discuss steel demand, cost pressures, policy signals and the outlook for investors.

A wide-ranging conversation on transatlantic ties and why Western civilization should bind allies together. Strong calls for Europe to shoulder more defense responsibility and modernize NATO for new threats. Warnings about supply-chain dependence and deindustrialization. Discussion of U.S. engagement with China, the Russia–Ukraine war outlook, and Cuba’s economic and humanitarian challenges.

Shirley Zhao, a Hong Kong-based consumer reporter on Chinese spending and Lunar New Year trends. Alexandra Semenova, an equities reporter previewing corporate earnings and stock movers. They discuss homebuilder outlook and margin pressures. They cover Walmart, DoorDash and Deere earnings watch. They explore Lunar New Year travel, gifting shifts to digital red envelopes, luxury and gold buying, and policy efforts to spur consumption.

Julia Wong, North Asia CIO at Nomura Wealth Management, offers macro and market strategy for the region. She discusses investor worries that AI may both disrupt sectors too fast and monetize slowly. She contrasts China’s steadier AI rollout with industrial gains and highlights Japan’s pro-growth stance, policy divergence across central banks, and FX/rates as diversification tools.

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.

Robin Xing, Morgan Stanley’s China economist, explains why China’s CPI slowed and what structural reforms might be needed. David Finnerty, Bloomberg FX and Rates strategist, walks through dollar weakness, Treasury yields and market bets on Fed cuts. Short, sharp takes on inflation dynamics, currency moves and the odds of rate easing.

Carrie Lee, DBS global market strategist, on dollar, renminbi and yen risks. Ross Mayfield, Baird investment strategist, on software rebounds, AI spending and global equity trends. They discuss why software stocks bounced, dollar weakness and where rates, Japan and tech flows may head next. Short, market-moving topics and near-term risk drivers are covered.

Greg Halter, Director of Research at Carnegie Investment Counsel, offers U.S. market and macro perspective. Shintaro Takauchi, portfolio manager at Matthews Asia, explains Japan’s historic supermajority and market implications. They discuss fiscal stimulus, yen range and bond yields, AI-driven tech momentum, valuations and earnings, defense spending choices, and risks of concentrated political power.