BOJ chief tempers talk of easy policy exit

Tokyo

JAPAN'S central bank chief said on Tuesday a future exit from ultra-easy monetary policy would need to be "very gradual", in comments analysts described as a bid to temper expectations about a near-term end to crisis-mode stimulus.

Bank of Japan (BOJ) governor Haruhiko Kuroda startled markets last week when he told lawmakers that the central bank could consider exiting easy policy if his inflation target was met in fiscal 2019 as projected, remarks that sent the yen and bond yields higher.