BoJ's Ueda keeps next-meeting rate hike on table, signals tightening bias

Bank of Japan Governor Ueda declined to rule out a rate hike at the upcoming policy meeting, maintaining a hawkish stance amid persistent inflation. This marks a continuation of the BoJ's gradual normalization path, with markets now pricing a higher probability of near-term tightening. The shift in communication could pressure Japanese yields and the yen, with global spillovers via carry-trade unwinding.