BOJ Keeps Ample Room for Rate Hike Without Clear Hint on October

The Bank of Japan left plenty of scope for raising rates in the near future in a summary of comments from its meeting this month without offering a clear hint that it will move in October.

“It may be time to consider raising the policy interest rate again,” one of nine board members said, according to a brief record of the Sept. 18-19 meeting released Tuesday. Still, “since the degree of slowdown in the US economy remains uncertain, it is appropriate for the bank to maintain its current stance” for the time being.