The Bank of Japan’s Seductive Widow-Maker Trade
After having maintained near-zero interest rates for decades, the Japanese central bank may be forced to hike rates if inflation remains persistently high. But Japan’s enormous government debt and vulnerable banking sector mean that doing so could trigger a systemic financial crisis.
CAMBRIDGE – Could Japan become the world’s next great growth story? Billionaire and legendary investor Warren Buffett seems to think so. And the International Monetary Fund expects the Japanese economy to grow by 1.4% in 2023 – an impressive figure for a country whose population has steadily declined for the past 14 years.