Today, many of those same businesses are running low on cash reserves and struggling to make rent and payroll—especially those in consumer services, such as restaurants and retail. Last year, national unemployment had fallen to its lowest point in over five decades. Today, unemployment has surged to levels not seen since the Great Depression.
Considering the market size and the risk volume borne by the Bank, the yearly purchase amount of ETFs and J-REITs was set at about 1 trillion yen and 30 billion yen, respectively. This would double the amount outstanding of ETFs held by the Bank from the end of 2012 to the end of 2014.