BoJ’s Himino: Persist in raising rate, adjust monetary support based on economic, price
Bank of Japan (BoJ) Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino said on Thursday that central bank should persist in raising policy rate and adjust monetary support based on economic, price, and financial trends.
Key quotes
Increasing global AL demand to drive economy and prices higher.
Fragile yen helps boost inflation.
Believe central bank should persist in raising policy rate and adjust monetary support based on economic, price, and financial trends.
Must heed upside price risks more than ever before.
Important to stabilize core inflation near 2%.
We will consider risks in every policy meeting debate.
If core inflation rises beyond 2%, it could negatively affect the economy.
Guiding policy requires considering multiple factors.
We should focus more on upside risk to prices than before.
Key factor in steering policy is outlook and risks, not underlying economic conditions.
Monetary policy impact on prices will take time.
Market reaction
At the time of writing, the USD/JPY pair is down 0.04% on the day at 159.24.
Bank of Japan FAQs
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is the Japanese central bank, which sets monetary policy in the country. Its mandate is to issue banknotes and carry out currency and monetary control to ensure price stability, which means an inflation target of around 2%.
The Bank of Japan embarked in an ultra-loose monetary policy in 2013 in order to stimulate the economy and fuel inflation amid a low-inflationary environment. The bank’s policy is based on Quantitative and Qualitative Easing (QQE), or printing notes to buy assets such as government or corporate bonds to provide liquidity. In 2016, the bank doubled down on its strategy and further loosened policy by first introducing negative interest rates and then directly controlling the yield of its 10-year government bonds. In March 2024, the BoJ lifted interest rates, effectively retreating from the ultra-loose monetary policy stance.
The Bank’s massive stimulus caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers. This process exacerbated in 2022 and 2023 due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks, which opted to increase interest rates sharply to fight decades-high levels of inflation. The BoJ’s policy led to a widening differential with other currencies, dragging down the value of the Yen. This trend partly reversed in 2024, when the BoJ decided to abandon its ultra-loose policy stance.
A weaker Yen and the spike in global energy prices led to an increase in Japanese inflation, which exceeded the BoJ’s 2% target. The prospect of rising salaries in the country – a key element fuelling inflation – also contributed to the move.
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