BoJ: Unchanged as expected – Commerzbank

This morning, the Bank of Japan left its key interest rate unchanged at 0.5%. This decision was anticipated by both economists and the market, and according to the BoJ, it was reached unanimously, Commerzbank's FX analyst Volkmar Baur notes.

Bank of Japan to continue proceeding cautiously

"However, today's meeting focused more on the Bank of Japan's bond-buying programme. Last summer, the BoJ began reducing its monthly gross purchase volume by around JPY 400 billion each quarter. Consequently, it has only purchased around JPY 4 trillion in bonds per month for the past two months. From April next year, the BoJ intends to reduce the pace at which it cuts its purchase volume to JPY 200 billion each quarter. "

"This means that the BoJ will still buy fewer bonds each quarter than the previous quarter, but by half as much. There was some uncertainty surrounding this decision, and according to the BoJ, there was also one dissenting vote (out of nine) against it. However, according to a Bloomberg survey, most economists had expected this move anyway."

"Therefore, there were no surprises today, which shows us once again that the Bank of Japan will continue to proceed cautiously when in doubt and will find it difficult to surprise the market. Consequently, the Japanese yen is likely to continue struggling to appreciate significantly against even a weaker US dollar in the coming months, which should result in continued weakness against the euro."