MNI BRIEF: BOJ’s JGB Unrealised Loss Rises To JPY10.5 Trln

The Bank of Japan posted JPY10.5 trillion of unrealised losses from its Japanese government bond portfolio for the April-September period Tuesday, up from JPY157.1 billion at the end of March.

The BOJ reported unrealised losses of JPY874.9 billion over same period last year, the first time since it launched unconventional monetary easing in April 2013.

The balance of exchange-traded funds held by the Bank of Japan was JPY37.1 trillion at the end of September, unchanged from JPY37.1 trillion at the end of March, with unrealised profits at JPY23.6 trillion, up from JPY16.0 trillion at the end of March.

The BOJ posted a net income of a record JPY1.93 trillion in the first half of fiscal year 2023, up from a net profit of JPY1.59 trillion a year earlier. The rise was due mainly to the increase of profits stemming from ETFs.

Assets held by the BOJ at the end of September totalled JPY741.5 trillion, up 8.1% from a year before. The outstanding balance of long-term JGBs held by the BOJ at the end of September totalled JPY584.6 trillion, up 9.0% a year earlier.