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Hello, I'm Miryam Campbell, Molto RE’s Managing Editor, joining you from London. This is Molto News, Markets, with your Asia report. These are selected developments from the region, drawn from dated original releases.

Published on 30 October 2026. On October 30, 2026, the Bank of Japan announced adjustments to its monetary policy and ETF sales strategy. At the Monetary Policy Meeting, the Policy Board decided to set a guideline for money market operations, aiming to keep the uncollateralized overnight call rate at around 1.25 percent. Additionally, the Bank adjusted its ETF sales pace, increasing it from about 330 billion yen per year on a book value basis to approximately 860 billion yen per year on a book value basis, effective in January 2027. This change reflects the expanding trading value in the stock market. The Bank noted that the pace of sales would be calculated using the trading value in the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market from January to September 2026 and the market-to-book ratio of the ETFs sold during the same period.

Published on 30 October 2026. The Bank of Japan has forecast that Japan's economy will continue to grow moderately, albeit at a decelerated rate, in fiscal 2026. This growth is expected to be supported by government measures, accommodative financial conditions, and an increase in global AI-related demand. The year-on-year rate of increase in the consumer price index (CPI, all items less fresh food) is likely to accelerate to a level clearly above 2 percent, driven by wage increases, rising crude oil prices, and the depreciation of the yen. However, the effects of high energy and raw material prices are expected to wane, leading to a decline in the rate of increase in the second half of the projection period. The Bank notes various risks to the outlook, particularly the potential for medium- to long-term inflation expectations to rise, which could lead to underlying CPI inflation deviating upward. The current situation shows that Japan's economy has recovered moderately, with private consumption resilient and business sentiment favorable, despite some impact from price increases.

That is your Asia markets report. You can read the full transcript and follow the original sources on the Markets page. I'm Miryam Campbell for Molto RE.