U.S. Bancorp Q4 revenue hits record $7.37 billion, net profit up over 23% year-on-year

According to Masahiro Okafuji, Chairman of the Japan Foreign Trade Association, Berkshire Hathaway is considering increasing its stake in Japanese trading companies. Berkshire Hathaway holds more than 10% of shares in Mitsubishi Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, Mitsui & Co., Marubeni Corporation, and Itochu Corporation, and may further increase its stakes in these companies.

After the market digested the impact of interest rate hikes, US stock index futures stabilized first after hours, providing support for sentiment in Asia-Pacific markets. The Nikkei 225 Index opened up by as much as 0.9%, but later pared gains to 0.18%. Major Korean stock indices also opened higher but then retreated. Australia's 10-year government bond yield edged down by 2 basis points. Gold prices rebounded by 0.3%, approaching the $4,300 mark.

Bob Michele from JPMorgan Asset Management stated that his team has started buying long-term bonds from the United States, Japan, and Australia, saying that current prices are "simply too cheap." Michele believes that a series of central bank actions and potential stabilization trends in the Middle East are key driving factors supporting the debt market.