The Bank of Japan could raise its interest rate as many as three more times this year, with the next step possibly coming as early as June, given the wide scope for adjusting “excessively” easy settings, a former BOJ said -chef. economist.
“It may sound extreme, but it’s fine if it happens in June,” Toshitaka Sekine, the economist, said in an interview on Wednesday, referring to a rate hike. “There is no need to conclude that there won’t be.”
Sekine’s views are more hawkish than those of most BOJ watchers, although a growing number of analysts have flagged the risk of a rate hike in July as the falling yen increases the risk of the price trend going up.
