In a major macro development, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has decided to keep interest rates unchanged at 0.25%. The development sent the Nikkei index soaring by 2.10% and 700 points today itself. As the fears of the further unwinding of the Yen carry trade subside, Bitcoin and altcoins have also been showing strength with further upside.
Bank of Japan on Future Rate Hikes
In the latest policy update, the Japanese central bank has revised its assessment of consumption. Thus, it showed confidence in a solid economic recovery that would allow the central bank to raise interest rates again in the coming months.
“Private consumption has been on a moderate increasing trend despite the impact of price rises and other factors,” the BOJ said in a statement.
The markets are keeping a close watch on how Governor Kazuo Ueda plans to roll out future BOJ rate hikes amid global economic uncertainty. Moreover, the unprecedented rate hikes this year by the Bank of Japan have exacerbated the fears of Yen carry trade unwinding and the rising Japanese Yen. The Japanese central bank ended the negative interest rates earlier in March, shifting away from its decade-long stimulus program to boost inflation.
In the last month of August, the core consumer inflation hit 2.8% rising for the fourth consecutive month. If inflation remains on track to hit its 2% target, the BOJ will continue with its rate hike said Ueda. The recent Reuters report suggests that a majority of economists expect the BOJ to raise interest rates in December.
Courtesy: Reuters
Bitcoin and Altcoin Rally Ahead?
With the Bank of Japan holding interest rates steady, risk-ON assets like cryptocurrencies are enjoying the upside. The Bitcoin price surged by 3% moving further closer to $64,000. On the other hand, altcoins led by Ethereum have registered gains anywhere between 4-10%.
Bitcoin has been showing strength following the Fed rate cuts earlier this week, for the first time in nearly four years. Interestingly, per the data from Sanitment, this strong recovery has come without any high FOMO. This shows that the Bitcoin and altcoin market recovery is healthy and can continue going further.
Courtesy: Santiment
On the technical chart, the Ethereum price is also showing signs of recovery with the recent jump. Despite the Vitalik Buterin address moving ETH recently, the below chart shows a strong recovery with the potential to rally to $5,000.
The TD Sequential is now signaling a buy on the #Ethereum $ETH weekly chart, suggesting a potential rebound if the crucial $2,200 support level holds strong. pic.twitter.com/Fdor0G7waz
— Ali (@ali_charts) September 19, 2024
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