The Bank of Japan (BOJ) surprise stimulus announcement jolted the market on Halloween day. By dropping no hints of imminent action, and instead playing down doubts over Japan’s economic price prospects, has allowed the BoJ to spring the biggest of Halloween surprises. Governor Haruhiko Kuroda likes to shock, as he is looking for the market’s biggest impact. Overnight, the BoJ unexpectedly announced additional stimulus measures that include upping its asset purchases total to ¥80-trillion from the previous ¥60–70-trillion target range. This is the first time in 18 months that Japanese policymakers have bolstered asset ... (full story)