Receding jitters of a global financial crisis and easing bets of a hawkish 50-basis point Fed interest rate hike supported the demand for riskier assets. A slide in the USD/JPY pair failed to weigh on the Nikkei 225, which benefitted from the shift in sentiment toward Fed monetary policy and bank contagion risk jitters. However, the softer US consumer and wholesale inflation and disappointing US retail sales eased bets of a 50-basis point Fed interest rate hike, adding further support to the riskier assets.