They're prowling from Italy to Norway and the trend is likely to continue as the European Central Bank resumes adding to its monetary easing.The nation's investors as a whole bought a record amount of Spanish debt in May, including corporate bonds. Policymakers noted that the outlook for economic activity and prices are extremely unclear, depending on the consequences of the virus and the magnitude of their impacts on domestic and overseas economies. "While Shizuoka is booking healthy profits, many of its peers are on shaky ground, thanks to a combination of super-low interest rates, shrinking customer bases and investments in areas beyond their expertise.The Financial Services Agency identified 30 regional banks and associated holding companies last year that it judged to be taking high risks in securities investments relative to their capabilities.The Bank of Japan also has a wary eye on the problem. TEForecast Monetary Policy Meetings produce a guideline for money market operations in inter-meeting periods and this guideline is written in terms of a target for the uncollateralized overnight call rate.
Meantime, in a quarterly outlook report, the central bank said that Japan's economy is likely to improve gradually from the second half of this year, with the pace is expected to be only moderate while the impact of COVID-19 remains worldwide. Policymakers also maintained to buy ETFs and J-REITs so that their amounts outstanding will rise at an annual pace of JPY 12 trillion and about JPY 180 billion, respectively, but launched a new lending program worth JPY 30 trillion ($279 billion) to support small businesses struggling with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"What it comes down to, is how do you find the kind of stocks that will deliver returns in an economy that doesn't grow anymore?Kondo, who's been managing the fund for 20 years, said part of the answer was to seek out niche investments. The Bank of Japan kept its key short-term interest rate at -0.1% and maintained the target for the 10-year Japanese government bond yield at around 0% during its July meeting, by an 8-1 vote. Reference
Policymakers maintained the optimistic outlook for the economy, saying activity is expected to resume gradually supported by accommodative financial conditions and the government's economic measures, but said the central bank stands ready to ease policy again if needed.The balance of monetary base, or the amount of cash in circulation and deposits at the Bank of Japan, increased 2.7 percent from the previous month to JPY 543.4 trillion at the end of May 2020, a record high for the second consecutive month. "Everybody is hunting for yields and it's very risky to go into somewhere that's cramped," said Hideo Kondo, who oversees 100 billion yen as director of the pension fund for Japanese chemical maker DIC Corp. "Many are flocking aggressively into infrastructure and private markets for things like debt and real estate. The intensifying search for yield sparked a reassessment of opportunities in property, which had been shunned by many in the aftermath of the collapse of Japan's economic bubble in the early 1990s, according to Matsunaga.When it comes to eking out profits from bonds, the country's life insurers know which way the wind is blowing, at home and abroad.They piled into French government debt in recent years, but with returns there turning negative, the lifers are shifting focus from the centre of the continent to the edges to gobble up the remaining pieces of positive yield. Based on the assumption that a second wave of infections will not occur, the GDP for the 2020 fiscal year is expected to shrink between 4.5% to 5.7%, compared with an earlier forecast of -4.7%. "They were all asking me, 'But why?'
"High risks will get you high returns but bring the danger of wiping out your capital. And there's a greater danger of swings in currencies or monetary policies sparking sudden volatility in prices and money flows. "The home of ultra-low rates has a warning for the worldThe BOJ concludes a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, with no end in sight to the program that's crushing rates.