Japan’s consumer price index (CPI) excluding fresh food rose 2.1% in September, above the Bank of Japan (BOJ) 2% goal for the first time in nine months as markets tracked the yen, oil and gold.
The measure rose from 1.7% in August. EconoTimes previously covered Japan’s September core inflation reading ahead of the BOJ’s next policy meeting.
After trading below $81,000 overnight, Bitcoin (BTC) was back near $82,000 during Asian hours. As of 19:31 UTC on Oct. 23, 2026, Bitcoin was $81,247, down 0.18% over 24 hours. Gold later traded around $4,020 an ounce; its session low had been $3,986. Regional stock indexes also recovered from session lows.
The dollar was near 156.1 yen before strengthening to around 157. Lee Hardman, senior currency analyst at MUFG, said the yen’s firmer late-week trading was encouraged by “more risk-off trading conditions.”
At 12:21 p.m. ET (16:21 UTC), Brent crude futures stood at $117.18 a barrel, compared with $114.47 at 2:39 a.m. ET (06:39 UTC). West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were $103.22 at the later check, versus $100.84 at the earlier one.
The BOJ’s next policy meeting is scheduled for Oct. 29-30.
