JGBs ease after BOJ operations point to selling pressure

TOKYO: Japanese government bond prices eased on Wednesday after the Bank of Japan's bond buying operation attracted stronger-than-expected selling interest.

The BOJ's purchase of 280 billion yen ($2.50 billion) JGBs with one to three years of maturity drew selling of 1.2807 trillion yen ($11.45 billion), the highest for those tenors since late April.

Its buying of 300 billion yen in three to five-year JGBs also invited offers of 1.1289 trillion yen, the biggest since early May.

The results underscored lingering selling pressure in those maturities, lifting their yields.

The five-year JGB yield rose 1.0 basis point to minus 0.115 percent, edging near last week's peak of minus 0.105 percent, which was its highest since March.

The two-year yield rose 1.0 basis point to minus 0.160 percent.

Yields on longer maturities rose slightly less, with the 10-year yield gaining 0.5 basis point to 0.045 percent .

The price of 10-year JGB futures fell 0.05 point to 150.54.