- The Japanese Yen scales higher against a weaker USD for the third straight day on Monday.
- The divergent BoJ-Fed policy expectations and reviving safe-haven demand benefited the JPY.
- Hopes for a US-Japan trade deal further support the JPY and weigh on the USD/JPY pair.
The Japanese Yen (JPY) retains a positive bias against a broadly weaker US Dollar (USD) through the Asian session on Monday and is underpinned by a combination of factors. Investors seem convinced that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will continue raising interest rates amid the broadening inflation in Japan. Apart from this, hopes for an eventual US-Japan trade deal and the global flight to safety turn out to be other factors underpinning the JPY.
The market sentiment remains fragile on the back of trade-related uncertainties, rising geopolitical tensions, and concerns about the worsening US fiscal concerns, which, in turn, is seen benefiting traditional safe-haven assets, including the JPY. The US Dollar (USD), on the other hand, remains depressed amid bets for more rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed). This marks a big divergence in comparison to hawkish BoJ expectations and favors the JPY bulls.
Japanese Yen bulls retain control amid BoJ rate hike bets and reviving safe-haven demand
- The Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) has exceeded the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for three straight years and pointed to sticky food inflation on Friday. This could add pressure on the BoJ to hike interest rates again, which continues to underpin demand for the Japanese Yen.,
- Japan’s top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said the latest round of discussions with the Trump administration on tariffs have put them on track toward a trade deal as early as this month. Akazawa added that the two sides will meet again before the Group of Seven leaders’ summit.
- US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is going to double tariffs on steel imports from 25% to 50%. Earlier Trump lashed out at China, saying that China had violated its trade deal with the US. The escalation comes after a federal appeals court reinstated Trump’s tariffs.
- Ukraine on Sunday launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russia, striking five air bases deep inside Russian territory and destroying more than 40 planes. Meanwhile, Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones just hours before a new round of direct peace talks in Istanbul.
- Israel continued its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, while Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack, which was intercepted, on Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. This keeps geopolitical risks in play and benefits the safe-haven JPY.
- Meanwhile, the US Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) Price Index cooled to a 2.1% YoY rate in April from 2.3% in the previous month. Moreover, the core PCE Price Index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 2.5% compared to 2.7% in March.
- The data reaffirmed expectations that the Fed will cut its target for short-term borrowing costs in September. Traders are also pricing in the possibility of a second rate cut in December. This prompts fresh US Dollar selling and further exerts pressure on the USD/JPY pair.
- Investors now look forward to this week’s important US macro releases scheduled at the beginning of a new month, starting with the ISM Manufacturing PMI later this Monday. Apart from this, Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s appearance will be looked upon for short-term impetuses.
USD/JPY technical setup supports prospects for an extension of a three-day-old downtrend
Last week’s failure near the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level of the recent downfall from the monthly peak and a subsequent fall below the 200-period Simple Moving Average (SMA) on the 4-hour chart favors the USD/JPY bears. This, along with negative oscillators on daily/hourly charts, suggests that the path of least resistance for spot prices remains to the downside and supports prospects for deeper losses. Hence, some follow-through weakness towards the 143.00 mark, en route to the next relevant support near the 142.40 area, looks like a distinct possibility. The pair could eventually drop to the 142.10 area, or the monthly low touched last Tuesday.
On the flip side, the 200-period SMA on the 4-hour chart, currently pegged just ahead of the 144.00 round figure, might now act as an immediate strong barrier. This is closely followed by the 144.25-144.30 supply zone, above which the USD/JPY pair could aim to reclaim the 145.00 psychological mark. A sustained strength beyond the latter should pave the way for a move towards the 145.65 horizontal zone en route to the 146.00 round figure and the 146.25-146.30 region, or a two-week top touched last Thursday.
Bank of Japan FAQs
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is the Japanese central bank, which sets monetary policy in the country. Its mandate is to issue banknotes and carry out currency and monetary control to ensure price stability, which means an inflation target of around 2%.
The Bank of Japan embarked in an ultra-loose monetary policy in 2013 in order to stimulate the economy and fuel inflation amid a low-inflationary environment. The bank’s policy is based on Quantitative and Qualitative Easing (QQE), or printing notes to buy assets such as government or corporate bonds to provide liquidity. In 2016, the bank doubled down on its strategy and further loosened policy by first introducing negative interest rates and then directly controlling the yield of its 10-year government bonds. In March 2024, the BoJ lifted interest rates, effectively retreating from the ultra-loose monetary policy stance.
The Bank’s massive stimulus caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers. This process exacerbated in 2022 and 2023 due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks, which opted to increase interest rates sharply to fight decades-high levels of inflation. The BoJ’s policy led to a widening differential with other currencies, dragging down the value of the Yen. This trend partly reversed in 2024, when the BoJ decided to abandon its ultra-loose policy stance.
A weaker Yen and the spike in global energy prices led to an increase in Japanese inflation, which exceeded the BoJ’s 2% target. The prospect of rising salaries in the country – a key element fuelling inflation – also contributed to the move.
