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☆ BOJ debated prospects of sustained inflation at July meeting - summary
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japan is expected to see a new phase where wages and services prices continue to increase," according to one opinion shown in the summary. Therefore, wages and selling prices could continue to rise at a pace that has not been seen in the past," another opinion showed. Governor Kazuo Ueda said the decision was a pre-emptive move against the risk of rising inflation pushing up long-term bond yields, and heightening volatility in financial markets. "If prices and inflation expectations continue to heighten, the effects of monetary easing will strengthen. On the other hand, strictly capping the 10-year bond yield at 0.5% could affect bond market function and market volatility," one opinion showed.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Kazuo Ueda, Leika, Chang, Ran Kim, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Bank, Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

☆ Japan's 'Mr.Yen' Sakakibara expects no yen intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Brigid Riley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japan's former currency czar Eisuke Sakakibara speaks at an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan February 6, 2017. Sakakibara gained a reputation as a market mover in the 1990s after devising several currency interventions during his time as vice finance minister, earning him the nickname "Mr Yen". Sakakibara takes Bank of Japan head Kazuo Ueda at his word that easy policy will be retained for the time being. Japan's Ministry of Finance intervened in October when the yen slipped to 149.70 against the dollar, and speculation grew that the currency could tumble further. While the chance that the yen weakens further against the dollar can't be completely dismissed, Sakakibara believes the "tide has changed" for dollar-yen.

Persons: Eisuke Sakakibara, Kim Kyung, Sakakibara, Mr Yen, Kazuo Ueda, Brigid Riley, Hiroko Hamada, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, U.S, U.S . Federal Reserve, of Finance, Bank of Japan, Fed, Bank, Japan, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Japan's

☆ Insight: BOJ makes bold shift as yen risks grow too big to ignore
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The BOJ's decision shook markets on Friday and contrasted sharply with Ueda's more cautious comments in recent months about the dangers of retreating too quickly from accommodative Kuroda-era policies. "There's also a small but probable risk of inflation overshooting in Japan, which gave the BOJ reason to act." NEW PRIORITIESThe BOJ's policy decision last week signalled to investors that it would now allow the 10-year government bond yield to move closer to 1% before it intervenes. 'BIT BY BIT'The shift in thinking gained momentum at the BOJ's June policy meeting, but not enough to turn the tide. It was a test case, or a preliminary exercise, toward future policy normalisation," said former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Haruhiko Kuroda, Fumio, accommodative Kuroda, Ueda, YCC, There's, Hirokazu Matsuno, Seiji Adachi, Asahi Noguchi, Ryozo Himino, Shinichi Uchida, Uchida, Masato Kanda, Kanda, Takahide, Leika Kihara, Takaya Yamaguchi, Takahiko Wada, Kentaro Sugiyama, Yoshifumi, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, TOKYO, Bank, Ueda, Reuters, BIT, Asahi, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Japan asks X to take down fake account of top FX diplomat as yen weakens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

'X' logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 30, 2023. In a rare English-language post on X, the ministry said "Please don’t follow the impersonation account and/or comment on the post", saying such an X account purportedly belonging to Kanda or his staff did not exist. loading"MOF is currently requesting that X (formerly Twitter) suspends the impersonation account. The fake account, which follows about 5,000 users and was followed by little more than 550, has made no remarks about the yen or financial markets. (This story has been refiled to clarify that the fake account had made five, not four, posts to date in paragraph 4)Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Masato Kanda, Kanda, Japan's, Kantaro Komiya, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Bank of Japan's, U.S ., BOJ, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, Kanda, Ukraine

☆ BOJ debated inflation overshoot risk in June, offering insight into July tweak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man walks at the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. While some said they expected inflation to slow back below 2% as cost-push factors dissipate, one member said the risk of inflation staying elevated above the level "remained high." Several board members said service prices were rising in a sign domestic factors were playing an increasing role in pushing up Japan's inflation, the minutes showed. "We cannot rule out the chance we are underestimating the sustainability of inflation in Japan," one of the nine board members was quoted as saying in the minutes. The outlook for medium- and long-term inflation expectations was crucial to how the BOJ operates YCC, another member said.

Persons: Issei Kato, BOJ's, Shinichi Uchida, Leika Kihara, Tom Hogue Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO

Passersby are reflected on an electric stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File PhotoAug 3 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Services PMI data from Australia, Japan, India and China are due on Thursday, with China's unofficial Caixin report coming under the closest scrutiny. The U.S. yield curve has been steepening for more than a week, led by selling at the long end. The yen ended the day little changed, and dollar/yen volatility is comfortably lower than it was before Friday's BOJ move.

Persons: Issei Kato, Jamie McGeever, Friday's, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, AAA, PMI, Nasdaq, Treasury, Bank of, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Australia, India, China, U.S

But the benign reaction across markets to the BOJ's latest "yield curve control" tweak suggests BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda may have timed this one just right. In those eight months global inflation has topped out and is now clearly falling, and major central banks are closer to "peak rates." Barclays analysts reckon the BOJ will scrap YCC in October, which would be "sufficiently justified" by Japan's strengthening inflation dynamics. BOJ GETS MARKET BUY-INWhenever the BOJ decides to start offloading its JGBs, there will be plenty of pent-up demand. But the early signs suggest investors believe the BOJ has timed it right and can, to coin a phrase, achieve its own "soft landing."

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Government Bond, Jamie McGeever, Paul Simao Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Government, Reuters, HSBC, Barclays, International Monetary Fund, U.S . Federal, European Central Bank, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, ORLANDO, Florida

☆ Dollar shaky after US credit rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Dollar banknote is seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. "We don't think the Fitch decision is that material. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen was roughly 0.1% stronger at 143.21 per dollar, paring some of its gains from earlier in the morning. "I think the market is still trying to get their head around what this whole thing means," said NAB's Catril. The New Zealand dollar fell 0.23% to $0.6136, after data on Wednesday showed the country's jobless rate hit a two-year high in the second quarter.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fitch, Sterling, we've, Rodrigo Catril, NAB's Catril, Matt Simpson, Rae Wee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, AAA, White, U.S, Fitch, National Australia Bank, NAB, Bank of Japan's, Reserve Bank of Australia, Index, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, States

☆ 'Long way to go': Bank of Japan douses hopes that policy tweak marks the end of easy policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

watch nowThe Bank of Japan has pushed back on speculation its recent policy adjustment marked the start of a tightening cycle. On Friday, the BOJ unexpectedly loosened its yield curve control, a move some market watchers said marked the start of the end of the Japanese central bank's ultra-easy monetary policy position. The BOJ's yield curve control is part of its ultra-easy monetary policy, which also includes keeping short-term interest rates at -0.1%. It is aimed at reflating growth in the world's third-largest economy and sustainably achieve its 2% inflation target after years of deflation. There is no free lunch for any policy," Ichida said.

Persons: Shinichi Ichida, Ichida, Bank of Japan Ichida Organizations: Bank of, Bank of Japan Locations: Bank, Bank of Japan, Chiba prefecture

☆ Dollar shaky after U.S. credit rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar struggled to make headway on Wednesday after a cut on the U.S. government's top credit rating by Fitch raised questions about the country's fiscal outlook, though it drew some support from a relatively resilient run of economic data. "We don't think the Fitch decision is that material. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen was roughly 0.1% stronger at 143.21 per dollar, paring some of its gains from earlier in the morning. "I think the market is still trying to get their head around what this whole thing means," said NAB's Catril. The New Zealand dollar fell 0.23% to $0.6136, after data on Wednesday showed the country's jobless rate hit a two-year high in the second quarter.

Persons: Fitch, Sterling, we've, Rodrigo Catril, NAB's Catril, Matt Simpson Organizations: AAA, White, U.S, Fitch, National Australia Bank, NAB, Bank of Japan's, Reserve Bank of Australia, Index, New Zealand Locations: States

While an ISM survey offered a tough assessment of U.S. manufacturing conditions, so-called hard data suggest the sector is shuffling along. Federal Reserve data in June showed factory production rebounded in the second quarter, ending two straight quarterly declines. Meanwhile, U.S. construction spending increased solidly last month and May's data was revised higher, boosted by outlays in both single and multifamily housing projects, the Commerce Department said. China's Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) missed analysts forecasts and showed the first decline in activity since April. Money markets now see a 60% probability that the Bank of England will hike rates by 25 basis points on Thursday.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Steven Ricchiuto, Carlos Casanova, Kit Juckes, Sterling, Herbert Lash, Joice Alves, Ankur Banerjee, Alex Richardson, Hugh Lawson, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Federal, outlays, Commerce Department, Labor, Survey, Labor Department, Mizuho Securities USA, Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank of Japan, U.S, Natixis Investment, P Global, European Central Bank, ECB, Societe Generale, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Asia, Hong Kong, U.S, Bank of England, London, Singapore

☆ Aussie set for biggest one-day drop since March, yen at 3-week low
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Aussie fell 1.4% to $0.6626, wiping out the 0.87% gains it clocked in July and set for its sharpest daily drop since March. "I think it was right that the RBA held today, given trimmed mean inflation and unemployment matched the RBA's forecasts. China's Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) missed analysts forecasts and showed the first decline in activity since April. The euro eased 0.2% to $1.0975, not too far from an almost three-week low touched on Friday. Money markets now see a 60% probability that the Bank of England will hike rates by 25 basis points on Thursday.

Persons: David Gray, Matt Simpson, Carlos Casanova, Kit Juckes, Sterling, Joice Alves, Ankur Banerjee, Alex Richardson, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Australian, Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank of Japan's, City, Federal, P Global, European Central Bank, ECB, Societe Generale, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, China, Asia, Hong Kong, U.S, Bank of England, London, Singapore

Over the two trading days since, the market has tried to second-guess the pace at which the BOJ wants yields to move, while the BOJ has run special bond-buying operations to cap yields. "There is only a very, very small possibility of a sudden or very steep rise in JGB yields, because too many people want to buy the bonds. The maximum yield investors demanded was 0.6%, just 10 basis points (bps) above the previous policy cap. The promise of an extra 10-20 bps of JGB yield means 10-year JGBs hedged from dollars into yen can yield upwards of 6%. As per BOJ data, lifers and pension funds held roughly 26% of a 1,132 trillion yen ($7.93 trillion) JGB market at the end of 2019.

Persons: It's, we've, Ales Koutny, Rong Ren Goh, BOJ, Tomoya Masanao, Masanao, Rae Wee, Tom Westbrook, Harry Robertson, Alun John, Vidya Ranganathan, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Bank of Japan, JGBs, Vanguard Asset Management, Eastspring Investments, Foreigners, U.S, Nippon Life, Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, TOKYO, United States, Europe, Singapore, JGBs, Belgian, Japan, PIMCO, Sydney, London

☆ Asia stocks near 16-month peak on economic optimism, Aussie eases before RBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Aussie dollar, meanwhile, eased slightly heading into a central bank policy decision, with traders laying about 30% odds on a quarter-point rate hike. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares (.MIAP00000PUS) rose 0.25%, heading back toward the high reached Monday, which was its strongest level since April of last year. The dollar added as much as 0.37% to reach a three-week high of 142.80 yen . Japan's benchmark 10-year yield hovered around 0.6%, far from the new de facto cap at 1%. The Aussie weakened 0.34% to $0.66955, putting it around the middle of its trading range of the past week.

Persons: Tony Sycamore, cryptocurrency bitcoin, Kevin Buckland, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of, Japan's Nikkei, IG, Caterpillar, U.S, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Asia, United States, Beijing, Sydney

☆ Yen eases to 3-week low as traders weigh BOJ shift; focus on RBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"As the new line in the sand is 1%, it would make sense to broaden the YCC band by this level." Investor attention during Asian hours will be on the policy decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia. "However, we expect any post RBA strength in Aussie to be short lived given the weak global economic outlook." Bank of England's policy meeting on Thursday is in the spotlight, with markets evenly divided between a 25- and 50-basis-point increase. Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Casanova, Kristina Clifton, CBA's Clifton, Sterling, Ankur Banerjee, Muralikumar Organizations: of Japan's, Reserve Bank of, Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Survey, Bank of, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, Hong Kong, U.S, Singapore

☆ Yen eases to 3-week low as traders weigh BOJ shift, focus on RBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The yen slipped to a fresh three-week low on Tuesday as traders pondered the Bank of Japan's steps last week to tweak its yield curve control policy, while the Australian dollar was soft ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy decision. "As the new line in the sand is 1%, it would make sense to broaden the YCC band by this level." Investor attention during Asian hours will be on the policy decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia. "However, we expect any post RBA strength in Aussie to be short lived given the weak global economic outlook." Bank of England's policy meeting on Thursday is in the spotlight, with markets evenly divided between a 25- and 50-basis-point increase.

Persons: Carlos Casanova, Kristina Clifton, CBA's Clifton Organizations: of Japan's, Reserve Bank of, Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Survey, Bank of Locations: Asia, Hong Kong, U.S

Aug 2 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. A double dose of the U.S. Treasuries and dollar 'pain trade' looks set to put Asian markets on the defensive on Wednesday, with investors also bracing for South Korean inflation figures and an expected interest rate hike from the Bank of Thailand. Several indicators, from big Wall Street banks' client surveys to futures market positioning data, show investors are not positioned for that. The yen has fallen nearly 4% since the BOJ tweaked its seven-year 'yield curve control' policy on Friday. Annual inflation in South Korea, meanwhile, is expected to have slowed to 2.40% in July from 2.70% the month before.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, Tuesday's, Deepa Babington Organizations: Bank of Thailand, Bank of, Apple, South, South Korea CPI, PMI, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Asia, Pacific, U.S, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore

☆ Japan's Nomura Q1 profit soars on strong domestic stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Makiko Yamazaki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We had a market tailwind," Chief Financial Officer Takumi Kitamura told a media briefing. Nomura's April-June profit came in at 23.33 billion yen ($163.42 million) versus 1.696 billion yen a year earlier, when fears of slowing global economic growth hit financial markets and forced investment portfolio writedowns at the Japanese firm. In contrast to the strong gains at the retail business, Nomura's wholesale division, which houses its investment banking and trading businesses, posted a pretax profit of just 2.1 billion yen, down sharply from 25.3 billion yen a year earlier. The Bank of Japan's relaxation of its cap on bond yields last week could also be "a major tailwind" to its business, as it is likely to increase market volatility, he said. ($1 = 142.7600 yen)Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Takumi Kitamura, Nomura's, Kentaro Okuda, Kitamura, Makiko Yamazaki, Himani Sarkar, Mark Potter Organizations: Nomura Holdings Inc, of, Energy, NTT Group, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Dollar gains after Fed loan survey, yen slips
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Herbert Lash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The dollar index , a measure of the greenback against six major currencies, rose 0.28% after trading little changed earlier in the session. The euro retreated from early gains after data showed economic growth in Europe nudged higher and inflation ticked lower. The dollar advanced 0.78% against the yen at 142.250 after a fresh intervention by the BoJ on Monday. The dollar posted its first monthly loss against the yen since March, and its second successive monthly loss against the euro and pound. The euro earlier rose after data showed euro zone inflation fell further in July, while the bloc returned to growth in the second quarter of 2023 with a greater-than-expected expansion.

Persons: Marc Chandler, Chandler, Jackson, Joe Manimbo, Sterling, BoE, Herbert Lash, Alun John, Rae Wee, Himani Sarkar, Kim Coghill, Christina Fincher, Mark Heinrich, Deepa Babington Organizations: YORK, Federal Reserve, Survey, Bannockburn Global, Index, Bank of Japan, China's State, Federal, Market, Central Bank, Rabobank, ECB, Bank of England's, Thomson Locations: Bannockburn, New York, U.S, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, Washington, Europe, Asia, China, London, Singapore

[1/3] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 26, 2023. European shares gained modestly after euro zone inflation fell further in July seeing that most measures of underlying price growth also eased. "Data out this week should remain superficially consistent with the 'soft landing' narrative," Citi market strategists wrote in a note. Japanese 10-year yields surged to a nine-year high up to 0.6% on Monday, and toward the new cap of 1.0%. U.S. crude rose 1.63% to $81.89 per barrel and Brent was at $85.56, up 0.67% on the day.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Florian Ielpo, Paul Christopher, Christopher, Austan Goolsbee, Sterling, Brent, Lawrence Delevingne, Nell Mackenzie, Nick Macfie, Will Dunham, Deepa Babington Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Apple Inc, Caterpillar Inc, Starbucks Corp, Devices, Markets, European Central Bank, Lombard, U.S, Citi, Intel, Lam Research, Wells Fargo Investment, Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, Bank of England, Bank of, Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, Treasury, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wells Fargo, Boston, London

☆ Bank of Japan needs to move sooner to a new normal as current policy is 'very harmful', says strategist
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Japan needs to transition sooner to a "new normal" as the country's current ultra low interest rate policy regime has been "inappropriate" and "very harmful" for the economy, according to a strategist. Central banks around the world have raised rates aggressively to rein in inflation, but Japan has kept its benchmark rate at -0.1% since 2016. On Friday, the Bank of Japan kept its ultra low interest rates unchanged but shocked financial markets by loosening its yield curve control — or YCC. "And when you have zero interest rates, it creates all sorts of distortions and dislocations that I think are very harmful." Moving away from negative interest rates would have far-reaching effects on the Japanese economy, from corporate investment to household savings.

Persons: Kevin Hebner, CNBC's, they've, Hebner, It's, Japan hasn't, hasn't Organizations: Bank of Japan Locations: Japan

☆ Yen eyes first monthly gain since March, dollar headed for monthly loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows the Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes in Tokyo, Japan. Photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows the Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes in Tokyo, Japan. The U.S. dollar was conversely headed for a monthly loss on the prospect that the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate-hike cycle, a key driver of the dollar's strength, could have concluded with last week's 25-basis-point increase. Elsewhere, the dollar edged broadly lower in early Asia trade, with the dollar index steadying at 101.62. It was headed for a monthly decline of roughly 1.2%, extending its loss to a second month.

Persons: they've, Chris Weston, Carol Kong, Sterling, CBA's Organizations: U.S, Bank of Japan, Federal, Market Committee, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Central Bank, Bank of, Australian, New Zealand Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, U.S

☆ Yen eyes first monthly gain since March; dollar headed for monthly loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The yen was about 0.3% lower at 141.57 per dollar, but was headed to end July with a roughly 2% gain, its first monthly rise since March. The dollar eventually ended the Friday session with a 1.2% gain against the Japanese currency, though that was after it had slid 1% to a session-low of 138.05 yen. DOLLAR EYES MONTHLY LOSSThe U.S. dollar was headed for a monthly loss on the prospect that the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate-hike cycle - a key driver of the dollar's strength - could have concluded with last week's 25-basis-point increase. The dollar index was last 0.11% higher at 101.72, but was eyeing a monthly decline of more than 1%, extending its loss to a second month. The euro rose 0.02% to $1.1017 and was eyeing a monthly gain of about 1%, though last week's European Central Bank policy meeting similarly raised the possibility of a rate pause in September.

Persons: they've, Chris Weston, Carol Kong, Sterling, Rae Wee, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Bank of Japan, U.S, Federal, Market, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Central Bank, Bank of, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, U.S

☆ BOJ flags broadening price, wage hikes in wake of policy tweak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Price hikes have spread rapidly among Japanese companies and sectors that had previously been cautious about passing on costs to households, the central bank said. "We must continue to scrutinise whether price hikes to pass on higher costs could broaden and last longer," the central bank said in a full version of its quarterly outlook report. Unlike the United States and Europe, however, Japan is still seeing inflation driven by higher goods prices rather than wage pressures, the BOJ said. The assessment of the price and wage outlook came after the central bank's decision on Friday to tweak its bond yield control policy and allow long-term interest rates to rise in line with inflation. The outlook for wages and inflation expectations is crucial to how quickly the BOJ could move towards dismantling its controversial bond yield control policy.

Persons: Leika Kihara, Kim Coghill, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, United States, Europe, Japan

☆ Asia shares up as China extends rally; Japanese yields a risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) climbed 1.1%, having gained almost 6% so far in July to reach a five-month high. Figures due this week include the U.S. ISM surveys on manufacturing and services, the July payrolls report and European inflation. Investors are still pondering the implications of Friday's shock decision by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to lift the lid on bond yields, in a step away from its ultra-easy policies. Analysts at BofA estimate the BOJ's bond buying added $1.3 trillion to global liquidity in the past 18 months and provided a low floor for global rates, so any sustained rise in Japanese government bond yields could ripple though other bond markets. Japanese 10-year yields climbed further to 0.6% on Monday, still short of the new cap of 1.0%.

Persons: Yen, Bruce Kasman, Ray Attrill, Brent, Wayne Cole, Jamie Freed Organizations: Nikkei, Apple SYDNEY, Apple, JPMorgan, U.S, Bank of England, Reserve Bank of, Nasdaq, Apple Inc, Western Digital Corp, Caterpillar Inc, Starbucks Corp, Devices, Bank of Japan, National Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Reserve Bank of Australia

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