Reuters
Japan's yen currency fell sharply on Tuesday after the central bank ended its negative interest rate policy in a monumental but highly anticipated decision, while the Australian dollar also slid after domestic rates were kept steady. In a historic shift from decades of massive monetary stimulus, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) ended eight years of negative interest rates and other remnants of unorthodox policy at the conclusion of a two-day monetary policy meeting. With Japan's first interest rate hike in 17 years, the central bank said it would guide the overnight call rate - its new policy rate - in a range of zero to 0.1% adding that it expected "accommodative financial conditions" to be maintained for the time being.