Halister News

(Bloomberg) -- Yen weakens for the first time this week after Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda says, theoretically, there is room to cut rate to minus 0.50% and that there is a chance this will happen. ** BOJ Deputy Governor Iwata says effects of tax increase in 2014 much stronger and longer than expected, and central bank erred on expectations; Columbia University’s Joseph Stiglitz says he has told Prime Minister Abe that now is a wrong time to raise Japan’s sales tax

• Offshore yuan weakens for third day; nation has a lot of room to ease monetary policy in the long run: China Securities Journal; central bank to create appropriate monetary and financial environment this year, Financial News reports
• Kiwi declines versus dollar; New Zealand had a current- account deficit of NZ$2.61b in fourth quarter, less than median estimate for NZ$2.88b shortfall; deficit was 3.1% of GDP in year through December versus forecast 3.3% gap; central bank says stress test shows banks can cope with dairy downturn
• Won declines; South Korea’s unemployment rate jumped to 4.1% in February from 3.5% in January, highest since 2010 and above median forecast of 3.6%; extra spending isn’t necessary even though nation has more fiscal room compared with other countries: Finance Minister Yoo; says current won movement “not rapid”
• U.S. Treasuries rise, with yield on 10-year bonds sliding 1 bp to 1.966% before FOMC policy decision in which majority of economists surveyed expect rate to be held