Business & Finance

JGBs gain, with superlong yields touching fresh lows

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TOKYO: Japanese government bonds gained on Friday, with superlong yields hitting fresh record lows as the Bank of Japan bought longer JGBs in its asset purchase programme.

The central bank offered to purchase 400 billion yen ($3.51 billion) in the 1-year to 3-year zone, 420 billion yen in the 3-year to 5-year zone, 260 billion yen in the 10-year to 25-year zone, and 180 billion yen of JGBs maturing in over 25 years.

The 20-year yield dropped 3 basis points to 0.435 percent, after earlier plumbing a record low of 0.415 percent.

The 30-year yield was down 5 basis points at 0.710 percent, after earlier falling to a record low of 0.705 percent.

The benchmark 10-year JGB yield slipped 2 basis points to minus 0.040 percent.

March 10-year JGB futures added 0.20 point to end at 151.87.

JGB yields have declined steadily after the BOJ adopted negative interest rates on Jan. 29.

BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda told parliament on Friday he is not thinking about pushing interest rates further into negative territory now.

Japan's government named Makoto Sakurai, a think-tank executive with ties to advocates of aggressive monetary policy easing in premier Shinzo Abe's administration, to join the BOJ's board, a government document showed on Friday.

Copyright Reuters, 2016