Overview
- The Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.5% in a 7–2 vote and said future hikes depend on the outlook, with Governor Kazuo Ueda offering few timing clues.
- The yen traded around 153.9 per dollar and is heading for its worst month since July, with the dollar up about 4.1% against it this month.
- Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she cannot endorse her earlier view that the yen's real value is 120–130 per dollar and warned against one‑sided, rapid moves, pledging close monitoring.
- Tokyo core consumer prices rose 2.8% year on year in October, remaining above the 2% target and reinforcing the policy trade‑offs facing officials.
- Dollar strength persisted as markets pared bets on a December Fed cut and as President Donald Trump touted a tentative tariff understanding with President Xi Jinping, with details still unclear.