The Bank of Japan folded as easily as a hot slice of New York pizza. After a few weeks of pounding by newly installed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the BOJ’s (officially independent) managers capitulated on Jan. 22 to his demands that the central bank hike its inflation target to 2% (from 1%) and undertake the necessary monetary easing to meet that target. That means the BOJ will keep printing cash until Japanese deflation is reversed. “One can say that it marks a ‘regime change’ in managing macroeconomic policy,” a victorious Abe declared. A regime change it is, and it isn’t just taking place in Japan. With the BOJ’s ... (full story)