Kenya's central bank kept its policy rate at 8.75%, in line with market expectations.

Dovish BOJ board member Ayano Sato said she supports phased, multiple rate increases, but 10-year JGB yields fell Wednesday, tracking a broader decline in global bond yields. Sato was one of two board members who cast a dissenting vote at the BOJ’s September rate increase. Meiji Yasuda portfolio manager Shuichi Ohsaki said Sato has adjusted her stance as Japanese political leaders move away from a reflation policy route. SMBC strategist Katsutoshi Inadome said market interpretation is mixed: some see Sato as less dovish, others do not; theoretically BOJ hikes should lift 10-year yields, but if hikes reduce worries that the BOJ is lagging on inflation, yields could instead fall.

State-owned Mutapa Platinum Group has secured $100m to develop the Darwendale platinum project, with financing completed at the end of last month and civil works now under way, Mutapa Gold’s CEO said. The deposit, about 65 km west of Harare, is estimated at 44 mln oz of platinum-group metals; first production is expected next year. Zimbabwe holds the world’s third-largest platinum reserves after South Africa and Russia.