BOJ to Hold Rate Steady With Likely Upgrade to Price View

The Bank of Japan is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate steady and boost its inflation outlook Thursday, as investors look for hints of another rate hike this year after a US-Japan trade deal reduced some uncertainty.

All 56 economists forecast Governor Kazuo Ueda’s board will leave the central bank’s interest rate unchanged at 0.5% at the end of a two-day policy meeting, according to a Bloomberg survey this month. In the bank’s quarterly economic outlook report, the inflation projection for this fiscal year is likely to be revised higher, they said.