"Bank of Japan Chief Ueda Achieves Mission Amid Record High Inflation"

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has achieved his goal of simplifying the bank's monetary stimulus framework within a year of taking office, shifting to a single rate target policy and ending negative interest rates. The focus now turns to the timing of the next rate hike and reducing the bank's massive balance sheet, with Ueda signaling the possibility of another rate hike this year as inflation is expected to accelerate. However, the challenge lies in smoothly navigating further interest rate hikes without spooking market players and reducing the balance sheet without causing an abrupt spike in bond yields.