Gold prices hit record high in Japan

Gold prices in Japan surged to a historical high of 14,088 yen (about 94.27 U.S. dollars) per gram, fueled by the ongoing turbulence in the Middle East and the yen's depreciation.

As of Thursday, gold retail prices in Japan had reached new highs for the second consecutive day. The futures price of gold has surged to 85.85 U.S. dollars per gram, making another record. Prices for silver and platinum have also seen an uptick.

A main factor contributing to the rise in gold prices is the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, which spurs investors to seek safer assets and boosts the demand for gold.

The continued depreciation of the yen against the U.S. dollar is also playing a crucial role, as it has led investors to speculate that the Japanese government may intervene in the foreign exchange market. Although the Bank of Japan has not yet taken any intervention measures, nervousness in the market has already begun to surface.

Gold prices hit record high in Japan

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.

China's aggregate social financing maintains high growth in 2025