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Chikako Mogi
For Chikako Mogi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 20, 2022
Traders need to rethink tumbling yen as a carry funding favorite
Analysis shows investors may be better off considering the Swiss franc, Taiwan dollar and euro rather than the rapidly weakening yen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 18, 2022
Treasurys’ biggest foreign buyers to return on weakening yen
Money managers in Japan see conservative buyers like life insurers helping the country reaffirm its position as the biggest foreign holder of Treasurys after heavy selling in recent months.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 18, 2022
BOJ’s Kuroda steps up yen warning to stave off stimulus doubts
Kuroda is facing a balancing act as he tries to stick with his commitment to keep stimulating a fragile economy without adding momentum to the weakening trend.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2022
Relentless BOJ bond buying drives yields lower as yen rebounds
The Bank of Japan surprised investors with a pledge to buy more securities than planned and include longer-dated debt on a day when global bonds rallied.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 30, 2022
Investors eye longer-dated bonds as BOJ intervenes to cap 10-year yields
The central bank intervened in an unprecedented manner Monday after a global bond rout pushed benchmark yields to the upper end of its 0.25% line in the sand.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2022
Yen plunges to five-year low as Japan import costs surge
The yen's fall shows no signs of easing as surging commodity prices have worsened the outlook for Japan's trade balance.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 22, 2022
Flood of Japanese cash ready to buy Treasurys as potential Fed rate hike looms
Treasurys are off to their worst start to a year in over four decades, but Japanese investors may soon ride to their rescue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 14, 2022
BOJ intervenes to cap Japanese yields just as havens find favor
The Bank of Japan offered to buy an unlimited amount of five to 10-year bonds at fixed rates in a bid to cap the recent rise in yields.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2021
Japan’s 2025 budget goal is near impossible, debt panel member says
Measures such as spending cuts or tax increases to meet the goal would shave 1% off the economy each year and are therefore unlikely, says Ayako Fujita.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2021
Treasury traders seek moment of truth from Japan’s life insurers
With combined assets equivalent to $3.6 trillion, and one-quarter of this in foreign securities, even minor shifts in Japanese insurer allocations can impact markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2020
Wall Street’s prediction of ¥100 to the dollar catching on at Japan banks
The yen at u00a5100 to the dollar is a tough call for Japan's banks, mainly because it's the point where domestic exporters start losing money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 27, 2020
Japan bond market in the dark on new sales as virus cases spike
As coronavirus infections spark increasing alarm, the government has left investors guessing on how much money it will pump into the economy through a third extra budget.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 20, 2020
More Australian QE threatens a source of yield for Japan investors
Options for Japanese investors, among the biggest buyers of global debt, have shrunk this year as central banks slashed rates.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 19, 2020
Tumble in global bond yields sees Japan insurers slash purchases
Net purchases of medium- to long-term foreign bonds by insurers were the lowest for an April to September period since 2013, according to ministry data.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 2, 2020
‘Widow maker’ bets in play as Japan's superlong bond yields peak
Waning demand from key buyers plus less central bank support could set the stage for bonds to extend losses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 28, 2019
Negative yields will punish insurer profits, ex-Bank of Japan official says
Miyako Suda, who opposed the Bank of Japan's ultraloose monetary policy as a member of its Policy Board, has a warning for the nation's life insurers as bond yields sink ever lower.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 6, 2019
Fighting against Bank of Japan may not be crazy after all
Going against a central bank is an investment strategy fraught with peril, but some bond market analysts think the Bank of Japan will fail to steepen the yield curve.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2019
Surging yen likely to clobber Rugby World Cup visitors to Japan
For Rugby World Cup fans budgeting for the trip of a lifetime to Japan this fall, the recent surge in the yen could have come at a better time. And the currency gods seem to be inflicting the most pain on followers of teams with the highest chance of winning.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 25, 2019
Shaving milliseconds off currency trades could make Singapore billions
Singapore is seizing an opportunity measured in milliseconds to win a bigger slice of the world's foreign exchange market, worth $5.1 trillion (¥570 trillion) daily.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2018
Banking veteran slams Japanese banks' fixation on archaic trading methods
Regional banks need to stop their fixation with the old-fashioned buy-and-hold strategy and be more nimble to make the most of their investments, a three-decade industry veteran says.

Longform

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