U.S. stock futures retreated on Monday, suggesting that the recent rally in the stock market could pause this week as investors parse fourth-quarter results to see how higher interest rates are affecting major companies.

The yield on benchmark 10-year Japanese government bonds breached the 0.5% cap set by the Bank of Japan on Thursday. This marked the first time that the yield has risen above this level since the central bank introduced its yield curve control policy in September 2016.

Sometimes central banks trade on their credibility, as when Mario Draghi promised to do whatever it takes to save the euro. His statement was so widely believed that the European Central Bank ended up having to spend nothing.

An experienced investor's accurate prediction of the conclusion of easy money has resulted in triple-digit returns for his new hedge fund in its first full year of operation.

At the start of the first trading week of the year, markets in the Asia-Pacific region experienced a mixed performance.