Global Equities Move Higher As BOJ Steps Up Monetary Policy, Introduces Negative Rates

Global equities and bonds gained overnight after the Bank of Japan surprised the markets with a negative interest rate. For the first time in Japan's history, its central bank adopted an interest rate below zero in hopes of jolting the economy. A rate of -0.1 percent will now apply to excess reserves that are stored at the central bank. The Japanese yen fell nearly 2 percent versus the dollar, marking its biggest loss since December 2014. The yen also fell 1.6 percent against the euro. The Nikkei 225 index surged by more than 3.50 percent before closing its trading day higher by 2.80 percent. The Shanghai Index gained 3.09 percent while the Hang Seng Index gained 2.54 percent.

noted that the Bank of Japan said in its statement that it will keep its negative interest rates policy for "as long as it is necessary." U.S. futures were solidly in the green 2 hours of Friday's opening bell. The Dow Jones E-mini (March 2016) contract was higher by 0.83 percent, the S&P 500 E-mini (March 2016) contract was higher by 0.82 percent while the Nasdaq 100 E-mini (March 2016) was higher by 0.68 percent.