Press conference of the BoJ.

The Bank of Japan Policy Board meets once a month for two days to discuss economic developments inside and outside of the country. The culmination of the meeting is the announcement of any adjustments to interest rates or other aspects of monetary policy.

Like any central bank, the BOJ is tasked with ensuring price stability while taking into account economic growth, employment, and recommendations from the elected government. With this goal in mind, a "Guideline for Money Market Operations" is established at each meeting. Changes in the rate have far-reaching consequences, affecting consumer loans, mortgages, bonds and the exchange rate of the Yen. The statement is the Bank of Japan's collective outlook on the economy as well as a source for clues on future monetary policy decisions. When it comes to interest rates, the future direction of rates is usually far more important than its current rate.

National Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the key gauge for inflation in Japan. Simply put, inflation reflects a decline in the purchasing power of the Yen, where each Yen buys fewer goods and services. In terms of measuring inflation, CPI is the most obvious way to quantify changes in purchasing power. The report tracks changes in the price of a basket of goods and services that a typical Japanese household might purchase. An increase in the index indicates that it takes more Yen to purchase this same set of basic consumer items.

Markets will typically pay more attention to "CPI excluding Fresh Food," because it excludes volatile food prices that can distort overall CPI. The headline figure for CPI is the percentage change in the index on a month to month or year to year basis.

As the most important indicator of inflation, CPI figures are closely followed by the Bank of Japan. Rising Consumer Prices may prompt the BoJ to raise interest rates in order to manage inflation and slow economic growth. Higher interest rates make holding the Yen more attractive to foreign investors, and this higher level of demand will place upward pressure on the value of the Yen.

This indicator shows how the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee voted. Published monthly, 13 days after the decision on interest rate was announced

The announcement of whether the Bank of England has increased, decreased or maintained the key interest rate. The BoE meets monthly to decide on monetary policy. After each meeting policy decisions are announced. The main task of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is to set the monetary stance by fixing the overnight borrowing rate, which is incremental in determining the short-term rates. Through this mechanism, the BoE attempts to affect price levels in order to keep inflation within the target range while maintaining stable economic growth and employment.

The BOE Rate decision has great influence on financial markets. Changes in rates affect interest rates for consumer loans, mortgages, bond, and the exchange rate of the pound. Increases in rates or even expectations of increases tend to cause the pound to appreciate, while rate decreases cause the currency to depreciate.