TheBank of Japan is expected to announce an interest rate decision this week. It is worth paying attention to how Governor Ueda Kazuo will evaluate the progress made so far in achieving the sustainable inflation needed to end negative interest rates.
Foreign market ETFs give exposure to non-US markets and international companies, such as Japan's Nikkei index or Hong Kong's Hang Seng index. Inverse ETFs profit from a decline in the underlying market or index. Keep in mind, these types of ETFs are risky and more complex and are generall...
That redemption rate is an ever-so-slightly better rate than the 0.6 cents per point that you get when using points to offset card charges. So, if you're planning on redeeming points through Cover Your Card Charges, it's worth seeing if you can make the purchase through one of the pa...
markets and avoiding a financial crisis. At a recent speech in Frankfurt, Germany, St. Louis Fed president James Bullard said that unless Europe adopts an aggressive bond-buying program, it risks an extended period of low growth and deflation like what Japan has experienced since the 1980s. ...
The standard view is that the Fed pursued an excessively easy money policy in 2002-03, which drove interest rates down to 1% and blew up the sub-prime housing bubble. Everything about this view is wrong. The Fed’s policy wasn’t excessively easy, it d
How close do you want to be to a subway station (the answer is “very close”) The Full Neighbourhood Guide Recently I put together a “where to stay in Tokyo” guide which will help you figure out what neighbourhoods you want to be in for your upcoming trip to Japan. ...
Theinterest rate differentialbetween the policy rates of theFederal Reserveand theBank of Japan(BoJ) is an important influence on the USD/JPY exchange rate. Higher interest rates make a currency relatively more attractive because they allow owners of assets denominated in that currency to earn a h...
Complementary currencies can also be time- or skills-based and, in effect, form abarter systemor direct community efforts to areas of great need. TheFureai Kippusystem is a type of complementary currency started in Japan. "Fureai Kippu" can be roughly translated as "ticket for a caring relati...
The Japanese yen is calculated differently. The dollar is placed in front of the yen in this case, as in USD/JPY. The equation for USD/JPY is dollars × exchange rate = yen. A traveler to Japan would get ¥11,000 if they want to convert $100 into yen and the exchange rate is...
Is the U.S. Dollar a Floating Exchange Rate? Yes, the U.S. dollar is a floating currency, meaning that its value depends on the supply and demand of the dollar. What Are the Benefits of a Floating Exchange Rate? The benefits of a floating exchange rate include the lack of need for ...