Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the timing of the next interest rate hike was "approaching" as the economy was moving in line with the central bank's forecasts, the Nikkei newspaper reported, leaving open the chance of a December rate increase.

The next rate hike is “nearing in the sense that economic data are on track.” At the time of writing, the USD/JPY pair is trading around 150.26, up 0.42% on the day.

The Bank of Japan’s interest payments on excessive reserves reached a record high, underscoring the costs of policy normalization after it put an end to more than a decade of massive monetary stimulus in March.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said the next interest rate hikes are "nearing in the sense that economic data are on track," the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday. "I would like to see what kind of momentum the fiscal 2025 shunto (spring wage negotiation) creates,

The Japanese yen rose to a six-week high against the dollar Friday. While trading was thin because of the Black Friday holiday in the U.S., the moves are still worth watching after volatility in the Asian currency sparked market turmoil earlier this year.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said interest-rate hikes are “nearing” as inflation and economic trends develop in line with the central bank’s forecasts, without explicitly supporting an increase in December.