Bank of Japan
Bank of Mexico Officials Implement Second Straight 25-Basis Point Hike of Overnight Interbank Rate
August 12, 2021
The 25-basis point interest rate increases in June and now reverse cuts last February and September, and the new rate level of 4.5% becomes the highest in a year but well below the pre-pandemic level of 7.25%. A statement from the Bank of Mexico foresees a danger of inflation tracking above its baseline forecast because […] More
Bank of Japan Policy Review
July 16, 2021
The Bank of Japan’s policy settings will remain at -0.1% on the short-term interest rate, around zero percent on the 10-year JGB yield to be maintained by purchasing “a necessary amount of Japanese government bonds (JGBs) without setting an upper limit.” Policy Board member Kataoka dissented in favor of augmenting policy stimulus, as he has […] More
U.S. Retail Sales, New BOJ Forecasts, and Some Euroland Data
July 16, 2021
Among today’s awaited events, U.S. retail sales will be reported within the half hour. Meantime, the Bank of Japan Board left policy settings unchanged and released new macro-economic forecasts. BOJ Governor Kuroda said economic activity will remain low for the time being as a result of the need for enhanced Covid restrictions. Revised Euroland CPI […] More
Bank of Japan’s June Policy Decisions
June 18, 2021
The Bank of Japan left its short-term interest rate and 10-year JGB yield targets unchanged at -0.1% and “around zero percent,” respectively. Ceilings on purchases of ETFs, REITs, commercial paper and corporate bonds were not changed. The special pandemic relief lending facility was extended by a half year to the end of March 2022, and […] More
Dollar and Yen Continue benefiting from Post-FOMC Risk Aversion
June 18, 2021
The dollar edged 0.1% higher overnight against its weighted DXY index to its strongest level since April 12. In bilateral terms, the U.S. currency advanced 0.4% against the Australian dollar, 0.3% versus the New Zealand dollar and sterling, 0.2% relative to the Swiss franc and 0.1% vis-a-vis the loonie, but the dollar dipped 0.1% against […] More
Bank of Japan Makes No Change in Monetary Policy but Revised Projected Growth Higher
April 27, 2021
This month’s meeting of the Bank of Japan Policy Board coincides with an updated publication of the Outlook for Economic Activity and Growth. The settings of the “Quantitative and Qualitative Easing with Yield Curve Control” was introduced initially in September 2016. The targets are -0.1% for short-term interest rates, “around zero percent give-or-take 50 basis […] More
Financial Markets Generally Quiet Ahead of FOMC Meeting and President Biden’s Speech on Wednesday
April 27, 2021
The weighted dollar is trading at its overnight low but down less than 0.1% on balance. The U.S. currency is unchanged against the euro and sterling, up 0.1% relative to the yen and 0.1% softer versus the Swiss franc. U.S. stock futures are little changed. Corporate earnings reports have been mostly solid. Share prices closed […] More
Bank of Japan Modifies Policy but Characterizes such as “Furthr Effective and Sustainable Monetary Easing”
March 19, 2021
Long before the pandemic, the Bank of Japan had significantly modified the framework of its highly accommodative monetary easing in September 2016 and renamed the program Quantitative and Qualitative Easing with Yield Curve Control. Policy focus was shifted away from money growth to a more targeted effort to ensure a positive output gap, flatten the […] More
Tough Week for Central Bank Credibility
March 19, 2021
At Wednesday’s press conference, Fed Chairman Powell tried to assuage investor concerns about inflation and the possibility of an earlier Fed tightening than indicated in the central bank’s forward guidance. Markets didn’t quite believe the dovish tone and drove the 10-year Treasury yield from 1.63% then to a high yesterday of 1.76%. Tech stocks in […] More
Bank of Japan Policy Left Unchanged
January 21, 2021
The Bank of Japan‘s policy board chose to retain interest rates of -0.1% on overnight money and “around zero percent” on the 10-year JGB yield. The policy of Quantitative and Qualitative Easing with Yield Control will be maintained for as long as needed to achieve the elusive goal of sustainable 2.0% core CPI inflation, and […] More
