Stock Market Live Updates 18 march 2024: Asia shares idle, dollar looks firm; Nifty 50 can go either way this week

Asian shares idled and the dollar held firm on Monday as investors looked to navigate a minefield of central bank meetings this week that could see the end of free money in Japan and perhaps a slower glide path for US rate cuts, per a Bloomberg report.

Central banks in the US, Japan, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, Brazil and Mexico all meet and, while most are expected to hold steady, there is plenty of scope for surprises, the report added.

Tuesday could see the end of an era as the Bank of Japan is now widely tipped to end eight years of negative interest rates and cease or amend its yield curve control policy.

The Nikkei newspaper on Saturday became just the latest media outlet to flag the move, after major companies granted the biggest pay hikes in 33 years.