The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Wednesday and warned of heightening global economic uncertainty, suggesting the timing of further rate hikes will depend largely on the fallout from potentially higher U.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Wednesday kept its key policy rate unchanged at 0.5% in a unanimous vote, in line with market expectations.

Following its third rate increase in January, the Bank of Japan held its key short-term interest rate steady at around 0.5% during its March meeting, as anticipated. The policymakers emphasized its fo

Japan's core inflation hit 3.0% in February and an index stripping away the effect of fuel rose at the fastest pace in nearly a year, a sign of broadening price pressure that reinforces market expectations of further interest rate hikes.

Japan’s consumer inflation slowed slightly in February due to energy subsidies but maintained the uptrend keeping interest-rate hike expectations intact.