Qatari mediators return to Tehran as US strike fears grow before midterms Binance loses $6.3bn in record crypto theft, North Korea blamed Tech rout deepens as Amazon and Intel results stoke AI spending fears Limpet mines hit Hormuz tanker as Iran blames ships for using unauthorised routes Ukraine resumes refinery strikes as Russian attacks kill about 20 Hundreds leave Oleshky under truce as Europe fears exclusion from talks Oil and gas stay high as eleven EU states release oil reserves Study links 3,560 Indonesian deaths in September to fire smoke as Singapore widens haze probe Spain blames control-centre errors for Toledo train crash Coalition talks begin in deadlocked Israel as foreign-funding probe widens Saudi Arabia reports Houthi drone near Mecca as Taiz and Aden suffer Protests over prices and youth prospects reach Italy and Germany after French unrest Novaya Gazeta to close after eviction and loss of donations Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes Tech stocks slide after Blackstone flags junk rating for Anthropic Justice Department widens Alaska and California election probes as Trump restores rallies African health ministers keep borders open as Ebola spreads Drone strikes on displaced-persons camp in Ethiopia's Amhara kill 14 to 16 BP profit jumps as Middle East war lifts refining margins US moves to bar Chinese testing labs and curb telecoms as China denies Nvidia spy report AI demand lifts chip and electronics firms across Asia Israel blows up homes in Hebron as siege forces 5,000 to flee El Salvador sends more than 2,000 troops to Haiti after ambush Nigerian probe finds 33 detainees died in civil-defence custody French economy contracts 0.1% as German growth beats forecasts G20 foreign ministers divided over wars; group photo cancelled Canada and EU launch 'Alliance for the Future' at Montreal summit Kim demands drone expansion as Seoul vows firm response to border breaches Xi urges EU and Germany to stay anchored in partnership as trade curbs loom UN bodies warn of war crimes and ethnic cleansing fears in Gaza despite ceasefire Serbia's Student List pushes to review institutions after election win Senior RSF commander defects as investigation maps wartime rape in Sudan Brčko mourns four EUFOR members killed in Italian helicopter crash China's party plenum ends with purge of 33 and PLA anti-graft expansion Volkswagen pauses electric Golf as Audi profit falls 87% and guidance is cut Mayon volcano erupts in the Philippines, evacuations ordered Machado returns to Venezuela urging 2027 elections as Rodríguez promises a vote without a date China stages military patrols and coastguard drills in disputed South China Sea Flávio Bolsonaro flees to Miami and draws ridicule as Trump reportedly will not back his claim Hong Kong officials apologise over Tai Po fire, survivors say it came too late Russia-Africa summit in Moscow ends as Putin turns to bilateral talks Polish president turns back from Senegal as Constitutional Court chief is suspended Irish government to assess possibility of unity with Northern Ireland Dockworkers strike in ports across 22 countries over arms shipments Qatari mediators return to Tehran as US strike fears grow before midterms Binance loses $6.3bn in record crypto theft, North Korea blamed Tech rout deepens as Amazon and Intel results stoke AI spending fears Limpet mines hit Hormuz tanker as Iran blames ships for using unauthorised routes Ukraine resumes refinery strikes as Russian attacks kill about 20 Hundreds leave Oleshky under truce as Europe fears exclusion from talks Oil and gas stay high as eleven EU states release oil reserves Study links 3,560 Indonesian deaths in September to fire smoke as Singapore widens haze probe Spain blames control-centre errors for Toledo train crash Coalition talks begin in deadlocked Israel as foreign-funding probe widens Saudi Arabia reports Houthi drone near Mecca as Taiz and Aden suffer Protests over prices and youth prospects reach Italy and Germany after French unrest Novaya Gazeta to close after eviction and loss of donations Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes Tech stocks slide after Blackstone flags junk rating for Anthropic Justice Department widens Alaska and California election probes as Trump restores rallies African health ministers keep borders open as Ebola spreads Drone strikes on displaced-persons camp in Ethiopia's Amhara kill 14 to 16 BP profit jumps as Middle East war lifts refining margins US moves to bar Chinese testing labs and curb telecoms as China denies Nvidia spy report AI demand lifts chip and electronics firms across Asia Israel blows up homes in Hebron as siege forces 5,000 to flee El Salvador sends more than 2,000 troops to Haiti after ambush Nigerian probe finds 33 detainees died in civil-defence custody French economy contracts 0.1% as German growth beats forecasts G20 foreign ministers divided over wars; group photo cancelled Canada and EU launch 'Alliance for the Future' at Montreal summit Kim demands drone expansion as Seoul vows firm response to border breaches Xi urges EU and Germany to stay anchored in partnership as trade curbs loom UN bodies warn of war crimes and ethnic cleansing fears in Gaza despite ceasefire Serbia's Student List pushes to review institutions after election win Senior RSF commander defects as investigation maps wartime rape in Sudan Brčko mourns four EUFOR members killed in Italian helicopter crash China's party plenum ends with purge of 33 and PLA anti-graft expansion Volkswagen pauses electric Golf as Audi profit falls 87% and guidance is cut Mayon volcano erupts in the Philippines, evacuations ordered Machado returns to Venezuela urging 2027 elections as Rodríguez promises a vote without a date China stages military patrols and coastguard drills in disputed South China Sea Flávio Bolsonaro flees to Miami and draws ridicule as Trump reportedly will not back his claim Hong Kong officials apologise over Tai Po fire, survivors say it came too late Russia-Africa summit in Moscow ends as Putin turns to bilateral talks Polish president turns back from Senegal as Constitutional Court chief is suspended Irish government to assess possibility of unity with Northern Ireland Dockworkers strike in ports across 22 countries over arms shipments

Symbolic image: Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes

Symbolic image

Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes

6 sources

The Bank of Japan kept its rate at 1.25% but said underlying inflation is consistent with its 2% target. US and euro-area officials are also pointing to higher rates.

In its quarterly outlook on Friday, 30 October, the Bank of Japan wrote that underlying inflation is "generally consistent with the price stability target of 2 per cent", while holding rates by an 8-1 vote, as markets expected, according to the Financial Times. Governor Kazuo Ueda played down the milestone, saying the goal has not yet been reached sustainably and stably, and that he envisions no formal "declaration of achievement". The board slightly raised its inflation forecasts from July. Economists increasingly expect a quarter-point hike in December, and Capital Economics calls further tightening "very likely". Nikkei Asia adds that the bank will pick up the pace of its ETF disposal.

Fed hawk wants more hikes

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Dallas Fed's Logan says the Fed needs at least two more rate increases. US inflation was 3.6% in September, and markets expect a rise in December.

ECB: Lagarde exit and succession

Lagarde said on Thursday she will leave on 7 February 2027, after the ECB held its key rate at 2.5%. Bloomberg reports the ECB has asked EU leaders to start the search for a successor to Lane.