BOJ expected to hold monetary policy steady

Tokyo

THE Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to hold monetary policy steady on Wednesday, preferring to save its limited options while hoping that a tightening job market will lift wages and consumption enough to offset the pain from China's slowdown.

The BOJ is likely to remain under pressure to ease at a more crucial meeting on Oct 30, when it is expected to cut its long-term economic and price projections due to sluggish exports and renewed oil price falls.