BOJ to stand pat after Ueda hints at ending negative rate policy

The Bank of Japan is widely expected to maintain ultralow rates at its two-day policy meeting from Thursday and examine economic and financial market developments since the central bank made its yield cap program more flexible in July.

Financial markets will be watching for any hints of a future policy change, particularly when Governor Kazuo Ueda holds a post-meeting press conference, after his comments in a recent interview with a major Japanese newspaper boosted expectations that the BOJ will shift away from monetary easing sooner than previously expected.

Leading up to the Policy Board mee...