Dateline Japan: When the BOJ released its policy decision in the wee hours of December 18, the algos interpreted the news as an expansion of monetary stimulus and assumed it was the QQE program. In the press conference, BOJ Governor Kuroda explained that the extension was not an additional easing but merely an extension of bond duration that the BOJ would buy. Because there’s a dearth of bonds available for purchase, the BOJ is extending purchases to include those of 12 years in length.