TOKYO, Feb 22 (Reuters) – The dollar bustled near a
5-1/2-month high against a basket of currencies on Friday, on
doubts over just how long the U.S. Federal Reserve will keep its
quantitative easing in place.

The dollar’s gains came as the euro tumbled to a six-week
low against the dollar and a three-week trough against the yen,
on disappointing euro zone economic data and uncertainty ahead
of Italy’s election at the weekend.

TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters) – Japanese government bond prices
eased on Wednesday ahead of a 20-year JGB auction and on a rally
in Japanese shares, lifting the five-year yield from its record
low hit the previous day.

Still, on the whole, the market was underpinned by
expectations that the Bank of Japan will likely expand its bond
buying to five-year bonds to cater to Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe’s call for aggressive easing to end deflation.

TOKYO, Feb 19 (Reuters) – The yen rose on Tuesday after
Japanese ministers played down talk of foreign bond buying by
the country’s central bank, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe said such a policy could be one option for monetary easing.

Finance Minister Taro Aso told a news conference that he was
not considering foreign bond purchases as a part of monetary
easing, while Economy Minister Akira Amari said Abe’s comments
on Monday simply referred to policy options countries have in
general.

TOKYO (Reuters) – The yen rose on Tuesday after Japanese ministers played down talk of foreign bond buying by the country’s central bank, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said such a policy could be one option for monetary easing.

Finance Minister Taro Aso told a news conference that he was not considering foreign bond purchases while Economy Minister Akira Amari said Abe’s comments on Monday simply referred to policy options countries have in general.

TOKYO/SYDNEY, Feb 18 (Reuters) – The yen weakened across the
board on Monday, edging near a 33-month low versus the dollar,
after Japan escaped direct criticism from its G20 peers on bold
reflationary plans that have seen the yen falling.

The Japanese currency dropped further after Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe said buying foreign bonds could be among options for
the Bank of Japan.

SYDNEY/TOKYO (Reuters) – The yen weakened across the board on Monday after Japan escaped direct criticism from its G20 peers on its bold reflationary plans that have weakened the currency and raised international complaints of competitive advantage.

The Japanese currency fell further against the dollar after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said buying foreign bonds could be among options for the Bank of Japan. <ID: nT9E8GV00H>

TOKYO, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Japanese government bond prices
were mostly firmer on Wednesday, with the 30-year yield hitting
a three-week low after a reasonably well bid auction of 40-year
JGBs.

Short-term bond yields were stuck at historic lows as
investors expect the Bank of Japan to step up buying in them to
pump more money into the economy.

TOKYO, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Long-dated Japanese government
bonds firmed on Tuesday as investors snatched up the longest
maturities even ahead of an auction of 40-year JGBs the
following day, as they rebalance their portfolio after sharp
gains in Japanese equities.

Also supporting the market, short-term notes yields were
stuck near historic lows, helped by expectations that the Bank
of Japan will step up its stimulus to lift inflation to 2
percent.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese government bond yields slid on Thursday, with the five-year yield hitting an all-time low, as investors bet the Bank of Japan will adopt a zero interest rate policy under a new governor.

The current BOJ governor Masaaki Shirakawa has long resisted cutting interest rates, saying pushing interbank lending rates to zero would effectively kill money markets because there would be no incentives for trading.

TOKYO, Feb 8 (Reuters) – The euro hovered near two-week low
on Friday after the European Central Bank chief spoke on
Thursday, said he would monitor the impact of the currency’s
strength, making more straightforward remarks on the exchange
rate than many had expected.

ECB President Mario Draghi said on Thursday that the
exchange rate is important for growth and price stability and
that he wants to see “whether the appreciation is sustained and
will alter our risk assessment as far as price stability is
concerned.”