Analysis-BOJ locks in near-term rate hike, yen may sway timing

By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) -The Bank of Japan's cautious governor has dropped unusually hawkish hints of an interest rate hike in December or January next year, with the timing likely swayed not just by wage momentum but by moves in the yen. The central bank kept interest rates steady at 0.5% on Thursday as expected, but Governor Kazuo Ueda said the likelihood of its baseline scenario materialising has heightened - language he had used in the past to signal a rate hike was imminent. While warning o ...