Bloomberg The Bank of Japan reduced debt purchases for a third time in June, taking advantage of the recent stability in bond yields and the yen. The BOJ lowered buying in the five-to-10 year segment by 20 billion yen ($181 million) to 410 billion yen at a regular operation. The yen — which has in the past shown a tendency …

Bloomberg The pain felt in South Africa’s economy in the first quarter was echoed in the banking industry. The value of new consumer credit granted in the first quarter declined more than 10 percent to 121.6 billion rand ($8.9 billion) from the previous three months, according to data compiled by the National Credit Regulator. The number of applications for loans …

Bloomberg Central banks in emerging economies are losing the battle with markets as their efforts to shield their currencies struggle for traction, suggesting policy makers have more work to do. Rising US interest rates, the strong dollar, higher oil prices, China’s market and economic wobbles and fears of a global trade war are conspiring to pressure emerging-market currencies. Here’s a …