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☆ Japan Raises Interest Rates for First Time in 17 Years
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Joe Rennison | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Japan’s central bank raised interest rates for the first time since 2007 on Tuesday, pushing them above zero to close a chapter in its aggressive effort to stimulate an economy that has long struggled to grow. Negative interest rates — which central banks in some European economies have also applied — mean depositors pay to leave their money with a bank, an incentive for them to spend it instead. But Japan’s economy has recently begun to show signs of stronger growth: Inflation, after being low for years, has sped up, cemented by larger-than-usual increases in wages. Even after Tuesday’s move, interest rates in Japan are far from those in the world’s other major developed economies. The Bank of Japan’s target policy rate was raised to 0.1 percent from minus 0.1 percent.

Organizations: Bank of Japan Locations: Japan

☆ The US economy is booming — but Japan and the UK just slipped into recession. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two of the world's biggest economies are officially in recession, per new figures published Thursday. Meanwhile, UK growth shrank for the second straight quarter — just months ahead of a key election. Japan and the UK are both officially in recession, according to figures published Thursday, after Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell for two consecutive quarters to close out 2023. UK: Cost-of-living crisis, weak spendingBritain also got some bad economic news Thursday, as official data showed its economy shrank by 0.3% between October and December — its second straight quarterly contraction. That officially put the UK into recession.

Persons: —, Dow Jones, It's, juicier, Goldman Sachs, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Service, Gross, Dow, Bank of, Britain, Bank of England’s, European Union, Conservatives, Labour Party, Politico Locations: Japan, Germany, China, European

☆ Japan’s inertia leaves yen at the mercy of the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A man looks at an electric monitor displaying the Japanese yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan October 4, 2023. The debate, though, ignores the bigger issue: Surging U.S. bond yields and Japan’s ultra-low interest rates, though, will keep the yen under pressure. Until it tightens monetary policy, Japan will have to live with an exchange rate driven by Washington. Until Tokyo regains control of its monetary levers, it will have to live with a foreign exchange rate driven by U.S. whims. The greenback then fell back to as low as 147.30, sparking speculation that Japanese monetary officials had intervened to prop up the currency.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Antony Currie, Oliver Taslic Organizations: U.S ., Nikkei, REUTERS, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Reuters Graphics, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Washington

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher in thin trading Monday with many markets closed for holidays. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index slipped after a central bank survey showed business confidence on the rise. The Bank of Japan’s “tankan” quarterly survey measured business sentiment among major manufacturers at plus 9, up from plus 5 in June. After easing earlier in the day on encouraging signals about inflation, Treasury yields got back to rising as the day progressed. Postponements of such reports could complicate things for the Fed, which has insisted it will make upcoming decisions on interest rates based on what incoming data say about the economy.

Persons: Australia's, Taiwan's Taiex, It's, it's, Brent Organizations: Japan’s Nikkei, Japan’s, Nikkei, Dow, Nasdaq, Treasury, Federal Reserve, New York Mercantile Exchange Locations: BANGKOK, China, South Korea, U.S, Tokyo, Bangkok

☆ Analysis-China's economic gloom hangs over Japan's long-awaited recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

TOKYO (Reuters) - Policymakers in Tokyo believe China’s deepening economic woes could hit Japan’s fragile recovery, especially if Beijing fails to shore up demand with meaningful stimulus, potentially delaying an exit from ultra-loose monetary policy. China is Japan’s largest trading partner, accounting for 20% of its exports, having replaced the United States in 2020. “Exports to China had already been weak and headwinds to inbound tourism are clearly bad for Japan’s economy,” said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities. Firms also promised wage hikes unseen in three decades this year, heightening the case for a retreat from decades of ultra-loose monetary policy. The darkening outlook for Japan’s recovery may push back the timing of a BOJ policy shift.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Kazuo Ueda’s, ”, Hiroyuki Ogawa, Ogawa, Takeshi Niinami, Toru Suehiro, Ueda, Toyoaki Nakamura, “, Seisaku Kameda Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of Japan’s, Reuters, Japan, Komatsu Ltd, Komatsu, Suntory Holdings, Daiwa Securities, Japan’s Sompo Holdings Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Beijing, Japan, United States, China

☆ How the Bank of Japan’s Shift Could Play Out in U.S. Markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Sam Goldfarb | Frances Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-bank-of-japans-shift-could-play-out-in-u-s-markets-b5d7acf5

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Bank of Japan has its cake and eats it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Governor Kazuo Ueda on Friday shocked global markets by pledging more flexibility in the Bank of Japan’s (8301.T) yield curve control scheme, its mechanism for controlling long-term interest rates. The central bank said its previous rigid target of keeping yields on 10-year sovereign bonds in a range of 0.5% to minus 0.5% was now just a “reference”. And it promised to buy 10-year bonds at 1%, which Ueda defined as a “just-in-case” cap. Traders immediately breached the officially unchanged range; the yield on 10-year government bonds hit a 9-year high of 0.575%. Instead, the bank may have found a way to make it more sustainable.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Bank of Japan’s, Traders, Global, Twitter, Consumers, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Japan, Una

☆ Japan will gain from ultra-cautious ratesetters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

If monetary authorities declare victory too soon and tighten policy, they risk derailing a growth revival and triggering a debt crisis. But the longer the Land of the Rising Sun waits for the perfect moment to raise interest rates, the more market ructions it will face. That belief is a key reason to maintain short term interest rates at minus 0.1% and stick with a seven-year-old policy of yield curve control. Japan’s interest payments would balloon; gross government debt accelerated during the pandemic and stood at 261% of GDP at the end of last year, more than twice the United States’ ratio. Follow @ugalani on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThe Bank of Japan’s two-day policy meeting concludes on July 28.

Persons: What’s, Kazuo Ueda, That’s, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Bank of Japan’s, United, P, of Japan’s, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Japan, United States

☆ Asian markets slide as investors fear more rate hikes by major central banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —Asian stock markets tumbled Friday as investors fretted that more interest rate hikes by major central banks would drag on global economic growth. Mainland Chinese stock markets were closed for a public holiday. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that more interest rate increases might be needed this year to bring down US inflation to the central bank’s 2% target. “The re-acceleration of global monetary policy tightening dampened markets’ sentiment across regions,” said Ken Cheung, chief foreign exchange strategist for Asia at Mizuho Bank. “The increasing inflation momentum will pave the way for the Bank of Japan’s inflation upgrade and the possible monetary policy tweak in the medium term.”

Persons: Australia’s, Kospi, Jerome Powell, ”, “, Ken Cheung Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Nikkei, US, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Mizuho Bank, Bank of Locations: Hong Kong, South, Japan, Asia

☆ Japan’s economic scars might blind it to inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Investors worry about market ructions if Ueda hikes rates now but there is another risk: that he waits too long. Reuters GraphicsUeda’s inaction – and the domestic markets’ positive response – have bought him time to focus on evaluating macroeconomic fundamentals, particularly inflation. The country only emerged from a decades-long deflationary rut relatively recently, so local economists, executives and consumers are unused to worrying about consumer prices rising too fast. The government’s latest draft of its long-term economic plan, seen by Reuters on June 2, remains focused on eradicating Japan's “long-held deflationary mindset”. "We expect inflation to quite clearly slow below 2%" toward the middle of the current fiscal year, Ueda told parliament.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Haruhiko Kuroda, Ueda, ’, –, Richard Koo, Shinzo Abe, Francesco Guerrera, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Bank of Japan, Nikkei, Nasdaq, Bank for International, Toyota, Toshiba, Black Monday, Japan Inc, International Monetary Fund, of, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, United States, U.S, Great, China, Europe, Germany, Italy, of Japan’s

☆ Japanese yen to move sharply higher if BOJ abandons ultra-loose monetary policy, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailJapanese yen to move sharply higher if BOJ abandons ultra-loose monetary policy, strategist saysGiles Keating, director at Bitcoin Suisse, discusses market sentiment, the outlook for the Japanese yen ahead of the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting and the outlook for the banking sector.

☆ Living standards are still falling in Japan. That’s a recipe for more stagnation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Adjusted for inflation, wages slipped 2.6% in February, compared to the same month a year earlier, according to government data released last week. That means it’ll be tough for Ueda to hike interest rates, especially as living standards aren’t rising either. The issue of stagnant wages could improve this year, as companies heed the call to raise salaries in response to inflation. Workers in Japan have been grappling with stagnant wages, leading to a government push for businesses to hike pay. But in Japan, it’s high enough to feel uncomfortable, given stagnant wage growth, according to Angrick.

☆ Credit Suisse reinforces Japan’s offshore anxiety
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HONG KONG, March 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The crisis at Credit Suisse has traders wondering who’s next. Japanese lenders, with their staid depositor bases, look like unlikely targets for bank runs. Yet the rising cost of short-term dollar and euro credit, combined with extreme yen volatility, have made hedging much more expensive. Domestic commercial lenders alone held $600 billion of international debt securities at the end of 2022, and some look overexposed. Take Japan Post Bank (7182.T), a $32 billion institution whose parent is partly owned by the Ministry of Finance.

☆ Bank of Japan Governor Nominee Predicts Inflation Rate Will Fall Soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Megumi Fujikawa | Peter Landers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kazuo Ueda was nominated by the government this month as the next governor of the Bank of Japan. TOKYO—Japan’s core inflation rate hit a four-decade high of 4.2% in January, but the nominee to lead the Bank of Japan said he expected it to fall and didn’t think an interest-rate increase was needed. Core consumer prices—which Japan defines as all prices excluding fresh food—rose at the fastest pace since September 1981 but came in slightly below the consensus forecast. It was the 10th consecutive month that inflation exceeded the Bank of Japan’s 2% target.

☆ Kazuo Ueda Is Nominated to Lead the Bank of Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Megumi Fujikawa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kazuo Ueda served on the Bank of Japan’s policy board from 1998 to 2005. TOKYO—The Japanese government on Tuesday nominated Kazuo Ueda to become the next governor of the Bank of Japan , the first leadership change in a decade after Haruhiko Kuroda ‘s aggressive monetary easing. Mr. Ueda is a former University of Tokyo professor of economics and served on the BOJ’s policy board from 1998 to 2005.

☆ Dollar eases as inflation in focus, BOJ governor nomination awaited
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six major rivals, eased 0.019% to 103.17, having slipped 0.34% overnight. NEW BOJ GOVInvestors are also awaiting the formal nomination for the next Bank of Japan governor. Sources told Reuters that Japan's government was likely to appoint academic Kazuo Ueda as the next BOJ governor. Ueda, a former BOJ policy board member and an academic at Kyoritsu Women's University, is considered an expert on monetary policy but had not even been seen as a dark horse candidate for the top job. The Japanese yen strengthened 0.23% to 132.12 per dollar, having slipped 0.7% in the previous session.

☆ Kazuo Ueda nominated to lead Japan's central bank in possible move away from ultra-easy policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —The Japanese government has nominated Kazuo Ueda to lead its central bank, in a surprise move that could pave the way for the country to wind down its ultra-loose monetary policy. Accommodative is a term used to describe monetary policy that adjusts to adverse market conditions and usually involves keeping interest rates low to spur growth and employment. As part of that program, the central bank targeted some short-term interest rates at an ultra-dovish minus 0.1% and aimed for 10-year government bond yields around 0%. But as prices rose and interest rates elsewhere went up, pressure has grown on the BOJ to wind down YCC. But Kuroda later dismissed a near-term exit from his ultra-loose monetary policy.

☆ Bank of Japan’s new governor starts on back foot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Feb 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Academic Kazuo Ueda faces a rocky time as the new governor of the Bank of Japan (8301.T). He is stepping down just as his signature yield curve control (YCC) policy is becoming increasingly unsustainable as domestic inflation rises. The Nikkei news service reported that officials had approached Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya and were rebuffed. It seems likely Ueda will have to modify or abandon YCC given how much damage it is doing to the bond market and the BOJ’s balance sheet. Follow @petesweeneypro on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSJapan's government on Feb. 14 named academic Kazuo Ueda as its pick to become the next governor of the country’s central bank.

☆ Bank of Japan’s Kuroda defends central bank’s yield curve control measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBank of Japan’s Kuroda defends central bank’s yield curve control measuresSpeaking during a panel session the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda discusses the central bank's decision to widen the trading band in its yield curve control program last month.

☆ Dollar rises on safe haven bids; yen regains footing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. hundred dollar bill and Japanese 10,000 yen notes are seen in this photo illustration in Tokyo, February 28, 2013. The fresh wave of risk aversion - compounded by news of job cuts by tech giants Microsoft and Amazon - also kept the dollar in bid. The euro was last 0.39% lower at 138.58 yen, while sterling fell 0.23% to 158.27 yen, as markets continued to test the resolve of the BOJ’s ultra-dovish stance. “While there’s still high expectations for a policy shift ... I think that will keep the yen pretty elevated in the near term.”Elsewhere, the kiwi fell 0.31% to $0.6425.

☆ Japanese Stocks Fall Ahead of BOJ Meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Dave Sebastian | Megumi Fujikawa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Bank of Japan’s monetary-policy board is due to meet this week. Stocks in mainland China rose to start the week, while Japanese markets fell as the country’s long-term bond yields again breached a cap set by the Bank of Japan . The Nikkei 225 closed down 297.20 points, or 1.1%, to end the day at 25822.32. The Japanese yen weakened slightly against the U.S. dollar, hitting 128.69 by late afternoon trading in Hong Kong.

☆ Japan’s Yield Curve Control Is a Tool Worth Keeping
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Jon Sindreu | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Like a heavy power drill, the Bank of Japan’s policy of capping bond yields seems to be difficult to use without cracking the wall. Unlike many of the tools tested by central banks since 2008, though, it may be worth keeping in the box. Haruhiko Kuroda has so far stood apart from other central bankers in refusing to unwind extra-loose monetary policy. Under his “yield curve control,” or YCC, the 10-year Japanese government-debt yield remains pegged at 0%. Yields have since jumped close to the new ceiling.

☆ Morning Bid: Tech melts, buck bounces
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

All of which raises some questions about the price at which Elon Musk eventually agreed to buy Twitter. But the dollar rallied on Friday as other central banks looked to more than match any easier Fed tilt. Eyes are shifting to another U.S. inflation update later, with European growth and inflation numbers surprising to the upside. Although spurred back higher on Friday by the inflation news, European bond markets had a dovish take on Thursday's doubling of European Central Bank interest rates to 1.5%. Key developments that should provide more direction to U.S. markets later on Friday:* U.S. September PCE price index, personal income and consumption.

☆ Dollar weathers suspected yen intervention, China data mixed
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar weathered another suspected blast of Japanese intervention to push higher on the yen on Monday, while most share markets rallied on just the hint of an eventual slowdown in U.S. rate hikes. REUTERS/Issei KatoThe dollar started in a bullish mood with an early rush to 149.70 yen, before taking a sudden spill as far as 145.28 in a matter of minutes. Yet speculators seemed undaunted and took the dollar back up to 148.90 in choppy trading. Also moving was sterling, which see-sawed on news Boris Johnson had dropped out of running for British prime minister. The Bank of Canada is also expected to tighten by 75 basis points at its meeting this week.

☆ Dollar absorbs suspected yen intervention, China data mixed
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar weathered another suspected blast of Japanese intervention to push higher on the yen on Monday, while for equities a drop in Chinese markets took the shine off hopes for an eventual slowdown in U.S. interest rate hikes. REUTERS/Issei KatoThe dollar started in a bullish mood with an early rush to 149.70 yen, before taking a sudden spill as far as 145.28 in a matter of minutes. Yet speculators seemed undaunted and took the dollar back up to 148.90 in choppy trading. Japanese authorities again declined to confirm whether they had intervened, but the price action strongly suggested they had. [GOL/]Oil prices surrendered early gains following soft data on Chinese demand.

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