Sterling rebounds notably after UK’s Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s move to shut down the parliament was unlawful. And Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said both houses should return as soon as possible. The ruling gave MPs a boost to continue with their work to block no-deal Brexit on October 31.
Hale said, “The decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue parliament was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification.” “Parliament has not been prorogued. This is the unanimous judgment of all 11 justices,” she added. “It is for parliament, and in particular the speaker and the Lords speaker, to decide what to do next.”
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow called for Parliament to reconvene. “As the embodiment of our Parliamentary democracy, the House of Commons must convene without delay,” Bercow said in a statement. ” To this end, I will now consult the party leaders as a matter of urgency.”
BoJ’s government debt holdings jumped to record high
BoJ’s government debt holdings jumped to record high in the period of October to December 2017. By the end of December, holdings jumped 6.8% yoy to JPY 449T. That equaled to 41.1% of all Japanese government debt. Insurance and pensions holdings was a distant second, at JPY 21.6T only. Overseas holdings also rose to JPY 122T, a record high.