BOJ Watchers Now See June Rate Hike as Iran War Pushes Back Bets

With Donald Trump’s war in Iran diminishing expectations for a Bank of Japan interest-rate hike next week, a majority of economists are now betting the next increase will come in June, according to a survey by Bloomberg News.

Some 80% of 51 economists anticipate the BOJ will keep its policy rate unchanged at 0.75% when it concludes a two-day meeting on April 28, according to the poll. The remainder are still forecasting an increase next week, down from 37% predicting an April move in the previous survey in early March.