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Bank of Japan

The latest news and top stories on the Bank of Japan. A prominent Tokyo-based governmental body, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) serves as Japan’s central bank, established in 1882. Its primary mission is to maintain price stability and ensure financial system stability, aiming for a 2 per cent inflation target. Key activities include issuing banknotes, implementing monetary policy, providing settlement services and conducting economic research. The BOJ is notable for pioneering ultra-loose monetary policies, including Zero and Negative Interest Rate Policies, significantly influencing the global financial landscape as the central bank of the world’s fourth-largest economy.

In a recent Bank of America survey of fund managers, four out of five respondents said proven, tangible AI monetisation would most increase their conviction to add to AI-related stocks. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

AI investors in Asia seen shifting focus to earnings ahead of Xi-Trump summit

Investments in artificial intelligence increasingly hinge on monetisation, Bank of America survey finds, as ‘fundamentals drive everything’.

21 Sep 2026 - 5:00PM

China stock market

China’s stamp duty on stock sales spikes over 80% as AI frenzy drives trading

21 Sep 2026 - 3:46PM

Banking & finance

From US Fed rates to China’s global export share: 4 figures shaping markets

18 Sep 2026 - 3:00PM

Bonds

How will Japan’s rate increase affect capital flow in global financial markets?

Tokyo’s bond yields are seeing multi-decade highs as Bank of Japan boosts borrowing cost to three-decade high.

18 Sep 2026 - 5:25PM

A woman walks past an electronic board displaying stock prices in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: AFP

Banking & finance

Macroscope | Who’s in control of Japanese monetary policy? Tokyo or Washington?

Bessent’s intervention could have adverse implications for Japan’s economy, the BOJ’s credibility and tech-heavy stock markets in Asia.

17 Sep 2026 - 4:30PM

Banking & finance

Is the yen carry trade starting to unravel as Japan’s currency strengthens?

The trade relies on borrowing cheap yen to invest in higher-returning assets overseas, but analysts say the strategy faces mounting pressure.

12 Sep 2026 - 12:00PM

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks face double threat: US inflation and a stronger yen

Investors are bracing for higher borrowing costs and further volatility as US and Japanese rate expectations shift.

8 Sep 2026 - 4:11PM

A giant electronic monitor shows the Hang Seng Index in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

International Property

Which property markets will be the winners and losers if Fed raises US rates?

Fed chairman’s focus on inflation at meeting last month has heightened expectations of monetary tightening.

6 Sep 2026 - 4:00PM

Global monetary policy

Macroscope | Asia is not on the edge of a new 1997-style financial crisis

While risks to Asia’s financial stability exist, they have nothing to do with the policy and structural weaknesses behind the 1997 crisis.

3 Sep 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Analysts warn that benchmark bond yields are approaching ‘concern zone’

With US 10-year Treasury yield at a 20-month high, alarm bells expected to ring if it crosses 5 per cent tipping point.

2 Sep 2026 - 3:29PM

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addresses a news conference on Tuesday after the G20 financial meetings in Asheville, North Carolina. Photo: AFP

Japan

US Treasury’s Bessent calls on Japan to boost yen through rate increases

A weak yen, which has pushed up import prices and broader inflation, has been blamed in part on the central bank’s slow pace of rate increases.

1 Sep 2026 - 11:28AM

Japan

Macroscope | Japan isn’t the only Asian economy giving bond markets a headache

Bond markets are nervous about central banks’ ability to contain inflation as South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines face similar pressures.

20 Aug 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Japan’s yen is falling yet again. What could Washington and Tokyo do next?

Another US-Japan intervention may be needed to prop up the Japanese currency, as a US Treasury rout fuels the yen carry trade, analysts say.

19 Aug 2026 - 9:05PM

Banking & finance

Macroscope | Behind the AI stock market bubble lies a weak yen

The tech stock boom, financed in large part by the yen carry trade, is at risk of collapse if the currency strengthens.

8 Aug 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Pedestrians pass a foreign currency indicator board showing the rate of the US dollar against the Japanese yen in Tokyo on August 3. The yen surged against the US dollar, reaching its strongest level in about three months after Japanese and US monetary authorities conducted a coordinated intervention to buy the yen for the first time in 28 years. Photo: EPA

Banking & finance

Macroscope | US efforts to prop up the yen risk doing more harm than good

Reversing the yen’s long-term decline ultimately rests on Japan’s ability to take its real interest rates out of negative territory – without triggering market panic.

6 Aug 2026 - 4:30PM

Japan

US-Japan trade thaw driven by shared yen for stronger currency

How long this boost in relations will last, though, depends on whether the yen can hold its value, experts say.

5 Aug 2026 - 6:37PM

Banking & finance

Rare US-Japan intervention as yen hits 40-year low: what does it mean?

Washington steps in to save Tokyo’s weakened currency in first joint yen-buying action for almost 30 years, causing its value to surge.

3 Aug 2026 - 6:30PM

Japan

Macroscope | Why Japan should be able to weather a US market crash

Successive Japanese governments have spent decades building financial infrastructure that other Asian countries can emulate.

18 Jul 2026 - 4:30PM

Japan

Macroscope | 3 reasons behind the Japanese yen’s persistent decline

The continued slide in the yen has raised concern, but what happens in the bond market will determine whether the bearishness extends far beyond Japan.

9 Jul 2026 - 5:12PMvideocam

Japan

As Japanese yen sinks to a 40-year low, focus turns to the carry trade

Analysts ponder what will happen if the conditions which currently support the currency’s carry trade begin to reverse.

9 Jul 2026 - 10:08AM

Hong Kong stock market

Can Hong Kong absorb a US$100 billion share flood amid the global AI boom?

A surge in shares becoming eligible for trading comes as investors pour into AI-linked stocks in rival markets.

2 Jul 2026 - 8:30AMvideocam

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing in Exchange Square, Central, Hong Kong, on June 11. Photo: SCMP/Jelly Tse

International Property

Will tourist visa fees, interest rate policy impact Japan’s housing sector?

Do property investments in the world’s fifth-largest economy add up for foreigners after visa fee hikes and a tightened monetary policy?

28 Jun 2026 - 1:58PMvideocam

Japan has increased tourist visa fees and tightened its monetary policy which could impact foreign buyers investing in property. Pictured is the residential district in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture of Japan. Photo: Getty

Banking & finance

Opinion | AI has been known to hallucinate. So have financial markets

Stock markets are booming on the assumption that US tech giants will deliver, but as liquidity becomes scarce, a reality check will ensue.

19 Jun 2026 - 8:30PM

Japan

Opinion | Short-sellers are circling as Japan’s yen presents a tempting target

A Japan declining in competitiveness presents a tempting target, with short-sellers likely to also target economies like India and Indonesia.

17 Jun 2026 - 10:50PMvideocam

Semiconductors

How massive AI-driven demand for MLCCs triggered a supply bottleneck

Power-hungry data centres fuel demand for MLCCs, which are crucial components for modern innovations including smartphones and electric cars.

15 Jun 2026 - 5:29PMvideocam

Demand for multilayer ceramic capacitors is being driven by the insatiable computing needs of artificial intelligence as the components are crucial to power tech innovations from smartphones to electric vehicles. Photo: Shutterstock

United States

Macroscope | Investors expecting a US interest rate rise could be in for a surprise

Rising bond yields are doing some of the Fed’s work, as are investor fears over the US central bank’s independence under Kevin Warsh.

11 Jun 2026 - 4:30PM

US President Donald Trump (right) enjoys a light moment during the swearing-in ceremony for US Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on May 22. Photo: Reuters

China consumption

Gold slump: China’s sales plunge as precious metal’s price dips

While China’s interest in gold is unlikely to fade, investment-grade product sales have dwindled after 15 months of retail growth.

7 Jun 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

South Korea

Macroscope | How the AI chip boom made South Korea a victim of its own success

While tech giants are driving South Korea’s stock market higher, the country’s currency is struggling and foreign investors are pulling out.

4 Jun 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

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Bank of Japan

AI investors in Asia seen shifting focus to earnings ahead of Xi-Trump summit

Investments in artificial intelligence increasingly hinge on monetisation, Bank of America survey finds, as ‘fundamentals drive everything’.

China’s stamp duty on stock sales spikes over 80% as AI frenzy drives trading

From US Fed rates to China’s global export share: 4 figures shaping markets

How will Japan’s rate increase affect capital flow in global financial markets?

Tokyo’s bond yields are seeing multi-decade highs as Bank of Japan boosts borrowing cost to three-decade high.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Macroscope | Who’s in control of Japanese monetary policy? Tokyo or Washington?

Bessent’s intervention could have adverse implications for Japan’s economy, the BOJ’s credibility and tech-heavy stock markets in Asia.

Is the yen carry trade starting to unravel as Japan’s currency strengthens?

The trade relies on borrowing cheap yen to invest in higher-returning assets overseas, but analysts say the strategy faces mounting pressure.

Hong Kong stocks face double threat: US inflation and a stronger yen

Investors are bracing for higher borrowing costs and further volatility as US and Japanese rate expectations shift.

Which property markets will be the winners and losers if Fed raises US rates?

Fed chairman’s focus on inflation at meeting last month has heightened expectations of monetary tightening.

Macroscope | Asia is not on the edge of a new 1997-style financial crisis

While risks to Asia’s financial stability exist, they have nothing to do with the policy and structural weaknesses behind the 1997 crisis.

Analysts warn that benchmark bond yields are approaching ‘concern zone’

With US 10-year Treasury yield at a 20-month high, alarm bells expected to ring if it crosses 5 per cent tipping point.

US Treasury’s Bessent calls on Japan to boost yen through rate increases

A weak yen, which has pushed up import prices and broader inflation, has been blamed in part on the central bank’s slow pace of rate increases.

Macroscope | Japan isn’t the only Asian economy giving bond markets a headache

Bond markets are nervous about central banks’ ability to contain inflation as South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines face similar pressures.

Japan’s yen is falling yet again. What could Washington and Tokyo do next?

Another US-Japan intervention may be needed to prop up the Japanese currency, as a US Treasury rout fuels the yen carry trade, analysts say.

Macroscope | Behind the AI stock market bubble lies a weak yen

The tech stock boom, financed in large part by the yen carry trade, is at risk of collapse if the currency strengthens.

Macroscope | US efforts to prop up the yen risk doing more harm than good

Reversing the yen’s long-term decline ultimately rests on Japan’s ability to take its real interest rates out of negative territory – without triggering market panic.

US-Japan trade thaw driven by shared yen for stronger currency

How long this boost in relations will last, though, depends on whether the yen can hold its value, experts say.

Rare US-Japan intervention as yen hits 40-year low: what does it mean?

Washington steps in to save Tokyo’s weakened currency in first joint yen-buying action for almost 30 years, causing its value to surge.

Macroscope | Why Japan should be able to weather a US market crash

Successive Japanese governments have spent decades building financial infrastructure that other Asian countries can emulate.

Macroscope | 3 reasons behind the Japanese yen’s persistent decline

The continued slide in the yen has raised concern, but what happens in the bond market will determine whether the bearishness extends far beyond Japan.

As Japanese yen sinks to a 40-year low, focus turns to the carry trade

Analysts ponder what will happen if the conditions which currently support the currency’s carry trade begin to reverse.

Can Hong Kong absorb a US$100 billion share flood amid the global AI boom?

A surge in shares becoming eligible for trading comes as investors pour into AI-linked stocks in rival markets.

Will tourist visa fees, interest rate policy impact Japan’s housing sector?

Do property investments in the world’s fifth-largest economy add up for foreigners after visa fee hikes and a tightened monetary policy?

Opinion | AI has been known to hallucinate. So have financial markets

Stock markets are booming on the assumption that US tech giants will deliver, but as liquidity becomes scarce, a reality check will ensue.

Opinion | Short-sellers are circling as Japan’s yen presents a tempting target

A Japan declining in competitiveness presents a tempting target, with short-sellers likely to also target economies like India and Indonesia.

How massive AI-driven demand for MLCCs triggered a supply bottleneck

Power-hungry data centres fuel demand for MLCCs, which are crucial components for modern innovations including smartphones and electric cars.

Macroscope | Investors expecting a US interest rate rise could be in for a surprise

Rising bond yields are doing some of the Fed’s work, as are investor fears over the US central bank’s independence under Kevin Warsh.

Gold slump: China’s sales plunge as precious metal’s price dips

While China’s interest in gold is unlikely to fade, investment-grade product sales have dwindled after 15 months of retail growth.

Macroscope | How the AI chip boom made South Korea a victim of its own success

While tech giants are driving South Korea’s stock market higher, the country’s currency is struggling and foreign investors are pulling out.

Macroscope | Who’s in control of Japanese monetary policy? Tokyo or Washington?