LONDON/TOKYO -- Speculation that the Bank of Japan will abandon its long-held negative rate policy has stoked anxiety in a country whose homebuyers, like those of Sweden, prefer floating-interest mortgages over fixed-rate loans.
With floating-rate loans, the interest rate fluctuates on a short-term basis, such as once every six months. They account for about 70% of new housing loan contracts in Japan. In many other countries, loans with rates fixed at the time of borrowing are usually opted for.
