TOKYO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Japanese government bond yields rose after a local media report that the central bank might widen the band of its policy target of 10-year yield and allow further rises when it reviews its policy framework in March.
Jiji press reported on Friday the Bank of Japan could enlarge the current 10-year yield target of 0.2%, or 20 basis point above or below zero percent, to allow more policy flexibility.
The 10-year JGB yield rose 1.5 basis points to 0.045%, touching a two-month high of 0.050% at one point while the 20-year JGB yield rose 2.5 basis points to 0.440%.
The 30-year JGB yield rose to as high as 0.675%, its highest level since January 2019 before stepping back to 0.660%, still up 1.5 basis points on the day.
But some analysts were sceptical as such an action could be taken as a policy tightening.
“It is a sensitive issue and I doubt the BOJ can take such a drastic step,” said Tetsufumi Yamakawa, chief economist at Barclays Securities in Tokyo. “I don’t think JGB yields will rise just because the BOJ widens the policy target band.”
(Reporting by Tokyo market team; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
Source: Reuters