Precious Metals Rally Provides Strong Finish to Trading Year as Contract Transitions Signal Bullish Momentum

Please allow me first to express my deepest sympathy for the loss of life in the large-scale fire that occurred in Saganoseki, Oita City and to offer my sincere condolences to all those affected. I will begin my speech by talking about recent economic developments at home and abroad. It can be said that Japan's economy is currently in a transitional period, where the economy is shifting from a deflationary or zero-inflation economy that lasted for several decades from the collapse of the bubble economy in the early 1990s until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to an economy that grows while both prices and wages continue to rise. In this context, new developments that have not been seen before are starting to emerge in the economy,such as progress in wage hikes on the back of labor shortages owing to an expansion in employment, rising stock prices based on an increase in corporate profits, and growth in new businesses fueled by diversified business opportunities. On the other hand, high prices stemming from cost-push factors that emerged with the end of the pandemic have placed a heavy burden on households, thereby pushing down private consumption. Therefore, for Japan's economy to genuinely return to a growth path, it is essential that people's wages and income continue to grow in a way that exceeds price increases. The pandemic that first broke out in 2020, and subsequent global inflation, posed a significant challenge for Japan. At the same time, they ultimately played a role in strongly pushing the country to exit from a zero-inflation economy. The greatest challenge Japan currently faces is the tariff policy of the second Trump administration in the United States. While the impact of that policy is not yet fully clear, it is first necessary for Japan's economy to w boj's noguchi: if price target achieved in 2nd half of projected period of outlook report, boj should adjust rate at appropriate pace to align with that timeline BOJ Noguchi: Yen depreciation exerts upward force on economic activity and prices through exports and imports BOJ’s Noguchi Warns That Moving Policy Too Slowly Could Destabilize Economic Activity and Prices Bank of Japan Noguchi: Bank of Japan must take measured, step-by-step approach in adjusting policy