TOKYO: Japanese government bond (JGB) yields extended declines on Wednesday after local media reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would promise a nimble response to unexpected market moves in a policy speech to be delivered next week.
Takaichi will pledge to respond swiftly to any unexpected developments in the economy and financial markets in her remarks on the first day of an extraordinary parliamentary session on October 5, the Nikkei newspaper said in its report.
The 10-year JGB yield slipped 3.5 basis points (bps) to 3.05% and the two-year bond yield fell 3 bps to 1.93%.
"The report signals the Takaichi administration is moving in an ideal direction and will become a support for the JGB markets," said Katsutoshi Inadome, a senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management.
"But I am sceptical whether this will actually be executed," he said.
Takaichi's ambitious spending plans have hit the bond market, with investors concerned about Japan's worsening finances. The benchmark government bond yield was on track for a fifth straight quarter of double-digit increases on Wednesday.
JGB yields have been on the rise since the election of fiscal dove Takaichi as prime minister in October last year, with super long bond yields rising to successive record highs.
The yen has also trended weaker on concerns that Takaichi may be pressuring the Bank of Japan to retain loose monetary policy settings, putting the central bank at risk of falling behind the curve in coping with rising prices.
Takaichi will also explain that the government will decide the size of annual debt issuance with an eye on interest rate developments, the report said.
The five-year bond yield fell 4 bps to 2.365%. The 30-year bond yield slipped 2.5 bps to 4.15%.
The decline in yields was also supported by a modestly firm outcome for the two-year bond auction earlier in the day.
The auction took place after expectations for the US Federal Reserve's October rate hike eased, following dovish comments from Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams. - Reuters
