Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

The US and Taiwan agreed to a trade pact that would lower tariffs on goods from Taiwan to 15% and see Taiwanese semiconductor companies increase financing for American operations by $500 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. shares climb as much as 2.7% in Taipei after the chipmaker’s strong results and outlook underscored the strength of demand trends related to AI. The shares ended 4.4% higher overnight in the US. Rob Haworth, Senior Investment Strategy Director at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group, talks TSMC, the day's eco data, and what's next for the Fed. After reporting huge profits in Q4, Wendell Huang, the CFO of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. affirmed the company’s strong conviction in the “mega trend of AI demand.” Huang mentions that the company is eyeing smaller tech gap between US and Taiwan chipmaking fabrication plants. While addressing the challenges, Huang says that the key to managing forex exposure is to keep it simple.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will call a snap election early in the parliamentary session starting later this month, in a bid to shore up her leadership and secure a mandate for the new ruling coalition. Takaichi told officials from the ruling bloc that she will give more details of the dissolution on Jan. 19, according to Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Shunichi Suzuki and Hirofumi Yoshimura, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP's coalition partner. We spoke to Isabel Reynolds, Bloomberg's Tokyo Bureau Chief Plus - Stocks started Thursday on a softer note after Wall Street gauges retreated as investors rotated out of richly valued technology stocks. We heard from Jason Liu, Head of APAC Equity & Derivative Strategy at BNP Paribas. He spoke to Bloomberg's Paul Allen and Avril Hong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian shares posted a modest gain at the open, while Japanese equities extended their record-breaking run fueled by a weaker yen. For more on what is moving the markets in the region, we speak to Abhishek Vishnoi, Senior Reporter for Asia Equities. Plus - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's reported plan for a snap election fueled a rally in stocks while pushing down bonds and driving the yen deeper into the intervention-risk zone. For more on the outlook on Japanese markets, we heard from Zuhair Khan, Senior Portfolio Manager at UBP. He spoke to Bloomberg's Paul Allen and Avril Hong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian shares climbed to near a record, buoyed by optimism over earnings and regional economic growth as investors broadened their focus beyond US markets. Much of the early action was in Japan, where stock gauges jumped after returning from a holiday. The yen gained as much as 0.2% to 157.90 per dollar after Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she told US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that she's concerned about one-way yen moves. Japanese government bond yields surged amid speculation that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi might dissolve the parliament as soon as next month. For more on what is moving the markets, we turn to Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg's Markets Live Strategist. Plus - UBS is hosting the 26th annual Greater China Conference. Bloomberg had the chance to catch up with CEO Sergio Ermotti. Ermotti spoke to Bloomberg's Stephen Engle and they discussed his outlook on UBS's business in China. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank had been served grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department threatening a criminal indictment, a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on the Fed. In a forceful written and video statement released Sunday evening, Powell said the action was related to his June congressional testimony on ongoing renovations of the Fed's headquarters. But he said the move "should be seen in the broader context of the administration's threats and ongoing pressure." For more on the broader market action and the moves in the Asia Pacific, we are joined by Lianting Tu, Bloomberg's Managing Editor for Asia Equities. Plus - Speculation that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will call for a snap election continues to rise as the leader of a partner in her party's coalition cited a shift to "a new stage." The Yomiuri newspaper reported that Takaichi may call for a vote on Feb. 8 or Feb. 15, citing unidentified government officials, and other Japanese media have published similar reports. We heard from Tobias Harris, Founder and Principal of Japan Foresight. He spoke to Bloomberg's Paul Allen and Avril Hong on the Asia Trade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.