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☆ Yen under pressure as BOJ keeps rates steady
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese Yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. The yen remained under pressure on Thursday as the Bank of Japan kept ultra-low interest rates steady, while the U.S. dollar consolidated ahead of jobs data later this week and the U.S. presidential election next week. The BOJ kept interest rates steady on Thursday and roughly maintained its forecast that inflation will hover near its 2% inflation target in coming years, signaling its readiness to continue rolling back its massive monetary stimulus. Analysts are divided over the prospect of additional interest rate hikes by year-end, putting the focus on BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda's post-meeting briefing for clues on the pace and timing of further increases. "Any strengthening of the yen at present would likely result from a general weakening of the U.S. dollar if interest rates begin to align," said Sean Teo, a sales trader at Saxo.

Persons: Yen, Kazuo Ueda's, Sean Teo, payrolls, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Sterling Organizations: Bank of Japan, U.S ., U.S, Treasury, Saxo, National Statistics, PMI, Westpac, European Central Bank, Australian, Analysts, New Zealand Locations: China, U.S

☆ Yen dives as BOJ plays down chance of hikes, soothing markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Japanese 10,000 yen and a U.S. 100 dollar banknote juxtaposed against each other in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, June 20, 2016. The yen dropped on Wednesday after an influential Bank of Japan official played down the chances of a near-term rate hike, soothing investors' concerns that a further jump in the Japanese currency could again rock global markets. The yen fell around 2.5% to a session low of 147.94 per dollar following the comments from BOJ Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida. "I think it's become increasingly clear that the BOJ hawkish turn last week could be a policy error," said Alvin Tan, head of Asia FX strategy at RBC Capital Markets. The yen's decline was broad based, with the Mexican peso, New Zealand dollar and Australian dollar - all carry trade candidates - surging against the currency.

Persons: Shinichi Uchida, Uchida, Kazuo Ueda's hawkish, it's, Alvin Tan, inching, Rong Ren Goh Organizations: Bank of Japan, Asia FX, RBC Capital Markets, U.S, Eastspring Investments, New Zealand Locations: U.S, Tokyo, Japan, Asia

☆ Dollar steadies as traders weigh hotter-than-expected inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. dollar held steady against a handful of rival currencies on Wednesday, as traders weighed what impact hotter-than-expected inflation data could have on chances of an interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve's June meeting. The U.S. dollar held steady against a handful of rival currencies on Wednesday, as traders weighed what impact hotter-than-expected inflation data could have on chances of an interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve's June meeting. The U.S. consumer price index, or CPI, increased solidly in February, beating forecasts and suggesting some stickiness in inflation. That has left analysts wondering whether the Fed will have sufficient data to justify more than a couple of rate cuts all year. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of peer currencies, was little changed at 102.91.

Persons: Powell, Matt Simpson, Kazuo Ueda's, bitcoin Organizations: U.S, Federal, Fund, U.S ., CPI, Bank of Japan, Traders, European Central Bank Locations: U.S

☆ BOJ's hawkish rhetoric signals chance negative rates may end soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Having watered down YCC at its last policy meeting, the BOJ's next goal is to pull short-term rates out of negative territory early next year, sources have told Reuters. That leaves open the chance of an policy change in January, when the BOJ next reviews its quarterly price forecasts. Most expect an end to both YCC and negative rates. "It's an awfully big upgrade and shows how the BOJ had made estimates that were way too low," said former BOJ top economist Hideo Hayakawa, who expects negative rates to end in April. Even if it ends negative rates, nominal short-term borrowing costs will remain well below levels that neither stimulate nor cool the economy - estimated by analysts to stand somewhere near 2%.

Persons: Issei Kato, Ueda, Kazuo Ueda's, Haruhiko Kuroda, Kuroda, Mari Iwashita, Hideo Hayakawa, Takahide, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Daiwa Securities, Japan Center for Economic Research, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, U.S

☆ BOJ increases Wednesday's bond purchase as 10-year JGB yields hit decade peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A pedestrian walks past the Bank of Japan (BoJ) building in central Tokyo on July 28, 2023. Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty ImagesThe Bank of Japan announced it's increasing its bond purchases at Wednesday's auction, as a spike in government bond yields tests its resolve to defend its yield curve control policy. Yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds hit as much as 0.775% Monday, its highest since September 2013 and nearing the BOJ's hard 1% cap. The Japanese yen shed nearly 0.3% to about 149.73 yen against the dollar, nearing the 150 yen level that prompted BOJ intervention last year. Hawkish comments in the minutes of a lively BOJ September policy meeting released earlier Monday reignited expectations the BOJ is slowly laying the groundwork for the end to negative interest rates.

Persons: Richard A, Brooks, it's, BOJ, Hawkish, Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda's Organizations: Bank of Japan, Afp, Getty, of Japan Locations: Tokyo

☆ Bank of Japan leaves rates unchanged, maintaining ultra-loose monetary policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Javier Ghersi | Moment | Getty ImagesJapan's central bank maintained its ultra-loose policy and left rates unchanged on Friday, mindful of the "extremely high uncertainties" on the growth outlook domestically and globally. In a policy statement after its September meeting, the Bank of Japan said it would maintain short-term interest rates at -0.1%, and cap the 10-year Japanese government bond yield around zero, as widely expected. The yield curve control is a policy tool where the central bank targets an interest rate, and then buys and sells bonds as necessary to achieve that target. Wage growth, output gap — which measures the difference between an economy's actual and potential output — and price expectations are among factors the Bank of Japan has prioritized as meaningful inflation drivers. Japan needs to see meaningful and sustained wage inflation, which can have a psychological impact on consumption," he said.

Persons: Javier Ghersi, Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda's, Ueda, Bank of Japan's, Oliver Lee, it's Organizations: Bank of Japan, Bank, Yomiuri Shimbun, Bank of, Eastspring Investments Locations: Japan

☆ Japanese yen weakness may force BOJ tightening sooner than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowThe Bank of Japan could be forced into hiking rates sooner than expected, if the Japanese yen weakens beyond 150 to the dollar. The BOJ stands as an outlier as major central banks have hiked rates aggressively to combat burgeoning inflation. Decades of accommodative monetary policy in Japan — even as other global central banks tightened policy in the last 12 months — have concentrated carry trades in the Japanese yen. The Japanese yen slipped about 0.4% to around 148.16 against the dollar on Friday after the BOJ kept its negative rates unchanged, after the yen tested its lowest in almost 10 months at 148.47 per dollar Thursday. While a weaker yen makes Japanese exports cheaper, it also makes imports more expensive, given that most major economies are struggling to contain stubbornly high inflation.

Persons: Bob Michele, Michele, Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda Organizations: Bank of Japan, U.S . Federal Reserve, Morgan Asset Management, CNBC, Afp, Getty, Yomiuri Shimbun Locations: Bank, Japan, Tokyo, Central

☆ Morning Bid: No calm before the central bank storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Kevin BucklandEurope yet again wakes up to a swathe of red in Asian markets on Tuesday. Japanese markets were closed on Monday for a national holiday, so are only now catching up on the TSMC news. Trading was volatile, with Hong Kong's property share subindex (.HSMPI), for example, swinging from an early 1.7% loss to be slightly up by lunchtime. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThursday is packed, with the Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, Riksbank, and Norges Bank. Certainly FX and rates markets are taking notice of the calendar, with the dollar and Treasury yields content to trade in tight ranges just below recent highs.

Persons: Kevin Buckland, Hong, Sunac, Kazuo Ueda's, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Nikkei, HK, Sunac China Holdings, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, Riksbank, Norges Bank, of Japan, Yomiuri, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Kevin Buckland Europe

A man walks in front of the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 18 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Attention this week turns to the Federal Reserve and Bank of England policy meetings, and in Asia, the BOJ on Friday. The currency and JGB markets are sending different signals, and both will be seeking more clarity from the BOJ on Friday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Issei Kato, Jamie McGeever, Kazuo Ueda's hawkish, Bond, Li, Guindos, Panetta, Diane Craft Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, The, of, ECB, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Bank of England, Singapore, China, Moscow

☆ Euro, sterling slide versus dollar ahead of U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar index , which tracks the currency against six peers including yen, euro and sterling, held firm, though moves were subdued, up 0.13% to 104.73, as traders awaited the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) reading for August. The release comes just a week before Federal Reserve officials gather to decide on interest rate policy. The euro fell 0.2% to $1.0731 as markets raised their bets on further ECB rate hikes despite recent data showing the decline in euro zone business activity accelerated faster than initially thought last month. A source told Reuters that the ECB expects inflation in the 20-nation euro zone to remain above 3% next year, bolstering the case for a 10th consecutive interest rate increase on Thursday. YEN RETRACES GAINSThe yen fell as traders further digested comments from Japan's top central banker on a possible early exit from its negative interest rate policy.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, CME's, BoE, Stephen Gallo, Jim Reid, Deutsche Bank . Sterling, YEN RETRACES, Hiroshige Seko, Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda, Joice Alves, Brigid Riley, Alison Williams, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Sterling, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve, Federal, ECB, FX, BMO Capital Markets, U.S, CPI, Reuters, Deutsche Bank ., Bank of Japan, Fed, Thomson Locations: U.S, Japan, London, Tokyo

☆ Dollar edges up ahead of inflation reading, euro awaits ECB decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar index , which tracks the currency against six peers including yen, euro and sterling, held firm, though moves were subdued, up 0.1% to 104.70, as traders awaited the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) reading for August. The release comes just a week before Federal Reserve officials gather to decide on interest rate policy. Elsewhere, the euro edged 0.1% lower to $1.0742 ahead of the ECB meeting on Thursday. A source told Reuters that the ECB expects inflation in the 20-nation euro zone to remain above 3% next year, bolstering the case for a 10th consecutive interest rate increase on Thursday. YEN RETRACES GAINSThe yen fell as traders further digested comments from Japan's top central banker on a possible early exit from its negative interest rate policy.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, CME's, Jim Reid, Deutsche Bank . Sterling, YEN RETRACES, Hiroshige Seko, Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda, Joice Alves, Brigid Riley, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve, Commerzbank, ECB, Reuters, Deutsche Bank ., Bank of Japan, Fed, Thomson Locations: Japan, London, Tokyo

☆ What will BOJ's policy normalisation path look like?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda speaks at a group interview with media in Tokyo, Japan, May 25, 2023. But his hawkish remarks have pushed up the 10-year JGB yield to a near decade-high of 0.715% on Tuesday. It also likely sees 0.8% as a threshold it wants to defend to avoid the 10-year yield from reaching 1%. That could mean the BOJ will retain the yield cap as a precaution when it raises short-term rates, some analysts say. There are no scheduled public appearances of BOJ executives until governor Ueda's regular news conference, to be held after the BOJ's next two-day policy meeting ending on Sept. 22.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Kim Kyung, Kazuo Ueda's hawkish, Ueda, Haruhiko Kuroda, Ueda's, Leika Kihara, Tetsushi, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, Rengo, NEXT, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Morning Bid: China developers catch break, BOJ hawks take flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 8, 2023. The drama isn't over: Sources say the extension applies to six of eight bonds under discussion, with voting delayed on the other two. The embattled developer has already dodged default twice this month, winning a three-year extension on offshore bond payments and making a last-minute coupon payment. Traders certainly lean toward a quarter-point hike next week, putting the probability at about 80%. But they're split on the chances of another, laying just north of 50/50 odds of one by March.

Persons: Kevin Buckland, Kazuo Ueda's, rumblings, BOE, Catherine Mann, it's, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, HK, Bank of Japan, Bank of England, Federal Reserve, ECB, Fed, Traders, Spain CPI, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Asia, Spain

In a sign of growing pessimism over China, the government also said its monthly economic report for August that "concern over China's outlook" was among risks to Japan's recovery. "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. "All in all, it's hard to justify tightening monetary policy any time soon." 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, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of Japan's, Reuters, Japan, Komatsu Ltd, Komatsu, Suntory Holdings, Daiwa Securities, Japan's Sompo Holdings, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, TOKYO, Beijing, United States

☆ BOJ Governor Ueda's comments at news conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Following are excerpts from BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda's comments at his post-meeting news conference, which was conducted in Japanese, as translated by Reuters:BOND YIELD"We will not tolerate an increase in the 10-year bond yield above 1% and will step in if it does. ON WHY THE BOJ DECIDED TO MOVE NOW"The inflation forecast for this fiscal year has been revised up quite significantly. The bond market is pretty stable now and we saw uncertainty over the outlook very high. Given uncertainty over the outlook, we decided to pre-empt risks by setting 1% as a loose framework along with the 0% target and the 0.5% yield band." ON WHETHER THE MARKET'S SIDE-EFFECTS OF YCC INCLUDE VOLATILE CURRENCY MARKET MOVES"The BOJ does not target currency rates in guiding monetary policy.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda's, haven't, That's, we're, Leika Kihara, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: Bank of Japan, Reuters, THE, Thomson Locations: Japan

☆ Japan's top financial diplomat signals chance of BOJ policy tweaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, July 21 (Reuters) - Japan's top financial diplomat on Friday suggested the central bank may tweak its approach to monetary stimulus at its next policy meeting, due to "signs of changes" in corporate behaviour on wage growth and price rises. In rare remarks on monetary policy, Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, said he expects the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to make a judgment on policy by analysing the conditions and outlook for prices at every review. "Various expectations and speculations are spreading about the possibility of some kind of tweak to monetary policy," he said. The BOJ, under Governor Kazuo Ueda's predecessor Haruhiko Kuroda, launched an unprecedented round of monetary stimulus in 2013, pledging to inflate the economy to meet a 2% inflation target in two years. The BOJ is leaning towards keeping its yield control policy unchanged at next week's meeting, five sources familiar with its thinking said, as policymakers prefer to scrutinise more data to ensure wages and inflation keep rising.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Kanda's, Kanda, Kazuo Ueda's, Haruhiko Kuroda, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Leika Kihara, Satoshi Sugiyama, Andrew Heavens, Miral Fahmy, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Bank of Japan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

Some market players bet the central bank could widen the allowance band set around its yield target to arrest market distortions caused by its heavy bond buying. With the 10-year yield moving stably below the 0.5% yield cap, however, many BOJ policymakers see no imminent need to take fresh steps against the side-effects of YCC, the sources said. Notwithstanding abrupt moves in the bonds and yen, the BOJ is likely to make no changes to its policy framework next week, they said. "We expect the BOJ will keep major policy levers unchanged next week," said Stefan Angrick, senior economist at Moody's Analytics. More than three-quarters of economists polled by Reuters said they expect the BOJ to keep policy steady including its yield control scheme next week.

Persons: Shinichi Uchida's, Kazuo Ueda's, Stefan Angrick, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Moody's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BOJ, TOKYO

☆ Take Five: School's (not) out for summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - The peak holiday season is gearing up, but school's not quite out for summer in financial markets. Also in focus are earnings from some of the massive tech and growth stocks that have led markets higher this year. Reuters Graphics2/ SUMMER READINGBefore they go on their summer break, ECB policymakers have a well-flagged rate hike to deliver. Rate-setters' summer reading list just got longer. Second-quarter earnings are expected to decrease 9.2% from a year earlier, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv, with aggregate earnings likely to be weighed down by poor performance from energy companies.

Persons: school's, Ira Iosebashvili, Kevin Buckland, Naomi Rovnick, Alun John, Dhara, Jerome Powell, Christine Lagarde, Kazuo Ueda's, Shinichi Uchida, Uchida, Ueda, Stocks, it's, Dhara Ranasinghe, Muralikumar Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan, Reserve, Microsoft, Reuters, ECB, Bank of Japan, Barclays, People's Party, Socialist Workers ' Party, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Ira, New York, Tokyo, London, Europe, SPAIN, Spain

The nationwide core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes fresh food costs, rose 3.3% in June from a year earlier, matching a median market forecast. A hike in utility bills added to a steady increase in food and daily necessity prices, adding to the burden of households. But so-called "core core" inflation, which strips away both fresh food and fuel costs, slowed 4.2% in June from a 4.3% rise in May, a sign the rapid pace of increase seen in the past few months was moderating. As inflation perks up, markets are simmering with speculation the BOJ could soon phase out its controversial yield curve control (YCC) policy that is criticised for distorting market pricing and narrowing margins for financial institution. Under YCC, the BOJ guides short-term interest rates at -0.1% and buys huge amounts of government bonds to cap the 10-year bond yield around 0% as part of efforts to fire up inflation to its 2% target.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda's, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ Analysis: BOJ in a bind as price pressures heighten case for early policy tweak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But there's no clarity on what the final decision would be," said one of the sources on the chance of a policy shift in July. Lately, however, BOJ policymakers been dropping signs that inflation is being increasingly driven by improving consumer demand. CREDIBILITY ON LINEThere is no consensus within the BOJ on how soon it should start dialing back stimulus. Proponents of early action point to the rising cost of YCC, such as market distortions caused by the BOJ's huge bond buying. "A July policy tweak would contradict the logic the BOJ had been using to justify keeping easy policy," said Naomi Muguruma, senior market economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda's reassurances, Ueda, Naomi Muguruma, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, Leika Kihara, Kim Coghill Organizations: Bank of, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Tokyo, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Bank of Japan

It was the first time the BOJ summary showed a board member explicitly mentioning the need for an early debate of a tweak to YCC, which contrasts with Governor Kazuo Ueda's remarks ruling out any imminent change in policy. Under YCC, the BOJ guides short-term interest rates at -0.1% and the 10-year bond yield around zero as part of efforts to sustainably achieve its 2% inflation target. Some market players bet the central bank could tweak YCC, such as by widening the allowance band set around the 10-year yield target, as early as July to address market distortions caused by its huge bond buying. FRESH YEN WORRIESYCC is also blamed by some analysts for causing an unwelcome yen fall that pushes up raw material import costs. However, Kanda stopped short of saying Japan was ready to take "decisive action" - language he used shortly before Japan stepped into the currency market last year.

Persons: policymaker, Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda, Daisaku Ueno, MItsubishi UFJ, MItsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley, YCC, Masato Kanda, Kanda, Shunichi Suzuki, Japan's, Leika Kihara, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, MItsubishi, MItsubishi UFJ Morgan, MItsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Finance, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Asia

The BOJ's decision contrasts sharply with that of the European Central Bank, which raised borrowing costs to a 22-year high on Thursday and signalled the likelihood of further hikes. Also this week, the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday signalled it was not yet done with its fight against inflation. As widely expected, the BOJ maintained its -0.1% short-term interest rate target and a 0% cap on the 10-year bond yield set under its yield curve control (YCC) policy. An upgrade to the BOJ's inflation forecast in a quarterly review in July is seen as a done-deal, though central bank officials have said a rise in inflation alone won't automatically trigger a policy shift. Ueda has said solid, sustained wage growth must accompany rising inflation for the BOJ to contemplate a policy tweak.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda's, Shigeto Nagai, Izuru Kato, Shunichi Suzuki, Ueda, Leika Kihara, Kantaro Komiya, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, Oxford Economics, Totan, Graphics, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

☆ Asia shares near 4-month peak, yen falls as BOJ maintains policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The BOJ rounded up a central bank heavy week, keeping its pledge to "patiently" sustain massive stimulus to ensure Japan sustainably achieves its 2% inflation target accompanied by wage hikes. As widely expected, the BOJ maintained its -0.1% short-term interest rate target and a 0% cap on the 10-year bond yield set under its yield curve control (YCC) policy. Markets are now pricing in 67% chance of the U.S. central bank raising its interest rate by 25 basis points next month, according to CME FedWatch tool. The European Central Bank on Thursday left the door open to more rate hikes as it flagged risks from rising wages and revised up its inflation projections. The ECB also raised interest rates by 25 bps taking its policy rate to 3.5%, a level not seen since 2001.

Persons: DAX, Kazuo Ueda's, Charu, HSI, Ryan Brandham, Lagarde, Brent, Ankur Banerjee, Kim Coghill Organizations: Federal, Bank of Japan, Ueda, Saxo Markets, Nikkei, Nasdaq, Validus Risk Management, European Central Bank, ECB, NatWest Markets, China . U.S . West Texas, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, Pacific, Japan, North America, U.S, China . U.S

☆ Yen slips after BOJ stands pat, soft data dents dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

As widely expected, the BOJ maintained its -0.1% short-term interest rate target and a 0% cap on the 10-year bond yield set under its yield curve control (YCC) policy. The U.S. dollar was last roughly 0.1% higher at 140.42 yen . That and a run of soft U.S. economic data saw the dollar fall broadly as traders scaled back their bets on how high U.S. interest rates would need to rise. FED HAWKISHNESS CHALLENGEDThe ECB's monetary policy decision came a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, snapping a string of 10 consecutive rate hikes. Production at U.S. factories almost stalled in May as manufacturing struggled under the weight of higher interest rates, while U.S. import prices similarly fell last month.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda's, Hirofumi Suzuki, Christine Lagarde, Sterling, Rae Wee, Edwina Gibbs, Kim Coghill Organizations: Bank of Japan, U.S, European Central Bank, ECB, Deutsche Bank, Bank of England, U.S . Federal Reserve, Fed, Labor Department, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, United States

☆ FACTBOX BOJ's next steps and triggers for policy shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

While Ueda has stressed the BOJ will be in no rush to dial back stimulus, the central bank is dropping clues on possible triggers of a policy shift. ABANDON OR TWEAK YIELD TARGETIn ending YCC, the first step will be to abandon or modify the 10-year yield target. One idea would be to widen the band around the yield target, now set at 50 basis points on either side. TWEAKING FORWARD GUIDANCEBefore tweaking the yield cap, the BOJ could drop more hints of a policy shift such as by modifying forward guidance. Big upward revisions to its inflation forecasts at a July quarterly review would signal the BOJ's conviction that conditions for a policy shift are falling into place.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda's, Ueda, YCC, Leika Kihara, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

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