As expected, the Bank of Japan left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at its latest meeting. The current rate of .5% remains the lowest in the industrialized world and thus will continue to fuel the Japanese carry trade. The Bank fended off the criticism of several European Ministers, wary of the Yen’s continued appreciation against the Euro, including a 5% increase in the last month alone. The EU has insisted that Japan should hike rates immediately both to avoid global economic imbalances and to prevent its own economy from overheating. Japan defended its decision by pointing to certain small business indicators, which suggest the sector is still underperforming. Carry traders, rest easy. Bloomberg News reports:
“The Bank of Japan will probably need to put off a hike at least until December to nail down its assessment of global growth as well as the performance of small companies,” said Masaaki Kanno, a former central bank official.
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