Economists at SMBC Nikko Securities stated that Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda is expected to avoid committing to a specific timetable for interest rate hikes at Thursday's press conference. However, if the summary of opinions from this meeting, to be released on March 30, shows policymakers support further tightening, investors may further price in the possibility of an April rate hike. The market considers a 1% policy rate (currently 0.75%) to be still accommodative for the Bank of Japan, therefore, even a deterioration in the Middle East and increased global risk aversion are unlikely to prevent an April rate hike. (Jinshi)