empty
16.05.2024 01:31 AM
The Bank of Japan will not allow the yen to weaken. Overview of USD/JPY

The yen was able to strengthen against the dollar after the Bank of Japan published a Summary of Opinions from its monetary policy meeting on April 25 and 26. The summary contained rather aggressive comments on two key topics for the yen: rate hikes and reducing bond buying. The document provided additional confirmation that the BOJ is preparing for a series of rate hikes and will reduce its purchases of long-term Japanese government bonds (JGB). The minutes contain clear hints that the central bank will combat a sustained depreciation in the yen.

While the issue of raising rates is a fairly obvious one, reducing bond purchases is an ambiguous step. The Japanese central government has been running budget deficits since 1993, and the government's funding comes from the constant issuance of bonds that the BOJ buys because they are unappealing to foreign investors due to nearly zero yields. The greater the yield differential between UST and JGB, the weaker the yen becomes.

This image is no longer relevant

If the BOJ is preparing to shift to quantitative tightening, then who will finance the government? Obviously, it is necessary either to achieve a sustainable budget surplus, which is currently impossible, or increase the appeal of bonds for foreign investors, which can only be achieved by raising yields. This, in turn, will again increase the burden on the budget due to higher interest payments.

The likely strategy will be to boost real household incomes, which explains the close attention to forecasts for average wage dynamics. Income growth would help keep inflation around 2%, justifying a rate hike and, consequently, higher bond yields.

Only time will tell whether this is the case or not, but the weak yen phase appears to be coming to an end as the negatives are clearly outnumbering the positives.

The net short JPY position sharply decreased by $2.4 billion to -$10.9 billion over the reporting week. The bearish bias remains intact, but the volume of short positions have been declining for two consecutive weeks, and the price no longer indicates a high probability of further growth in USD/JPY.

This image is no longer relevant

The yen is still trading near the 160 level, but there are lower chances of testing this level again. Objectively, the yen should weaken due to the substantial yield differential, but in the long term, the situation will change in its favor. The question is when these changes will be enough for the yen to start appreciating for objective reasons, rather than through monetary interventions. For speculators, betting on a weaker yen is becoming too risky. Therefore, the most obvious strategy is to sell USD/JPY on attempts to rise, anticipating a global reversal.

Kuvat Raharjo,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

U.S. Inflation Data: What to Know and What to Expect

A highly anticipated March inflation report from the U.S. is expected today, with analysts predicting a slowdown, partly due to declining energy prices—which has brought some relief to consumers. According

Jakub Novak 12:09 2025-04-10 UTC+2

China Plans Emergency Meeting and a Strong Response to the U.S.

According to media reports, China's top leadership is set to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss additional economic stimulus measures following President Donald Trump's announcement of new tariff hikes

Jakub Novak 12:07 2025-04-10 UTC+2

Trump Suspends Tariffs for 90 Days but Raises Rates on China Even Further

President Donald Trump announced yesterday a 90-day suspension of tariff increases that had affected dozens of trade partners, while simultaneously raising tariffs on China to 125%. The president's policy shift

Jakub Novak 11:57 2025-04-10 UTC+2

Wall Street responding to president's call

Where there's smoke, there's fire. At the start of the second week of April, a rumor spread on social media about a 90-day delay in US tariffs, causing markets

Marek Petkovich 10:58 2025-04-10 UTC+2

Trump Maneuvers in Trade War With China (Potential for Continued Recovery in #SPX and AUD/USD)

The U.S. President continues maneuvering actively, engaging in geopolitics, economics, and global financial markets. Investors are asking: What happened on Wednesday? Why did the White House suddenly announce a truce

Pati Gani 09:56 2025-04-10 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on April 10? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

There are very few macroeconomic events scheduled for Thursday, but the U.S. inflation report still holds some relevance for traders. At the moment, inflation has limited influence because virtually everyone

Paolo Greco 06:49 2025-04-10 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview. April 10: Trump Meets His Match

The GBP/USD currency pair showed gains and losses throughout Wednesday. The afternoon decline once again raised some questions, though market movements in recent months have lacked much logic. The market

Paolo Greco 03:21 2025-04-10 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview. April 10: From Prince to Pauper

The EUR/USD currency pair continued to trade higher on Wednesday, once again failing to settle below the moving average line. Donald Trump keeps announcing new tariffs — or previously announced

Paolo Greco 03:21 2025-04-10 UTC+2

The Dollar – A Toxic Currency

Trouble often comes in pairs or groups. The decline of American exceptionalism is only one of the challenges facing EUR/USD bears. The main currency pair remains resilient and occasionally goes

Marek Petkovich 00:59 2025-04-10 UTC+2

GBP/JPY: Down, Only Down

The pound is plummeting against the yen. The cross has dropped by over a thousand points in just one week, reflecting the British currency's weakness and the yen's "crisis resilience."

Irina Manzenko 00:59 2025-04-10 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.