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

Transition from Aggressive to Cautious Position by the ECB

The annual economic forum is currently taking place in the Portuguese town of Sintra, which explains the daily speeches by central bank heads. Most of the information being shared

Chin Zhao 00:42 2025-07-03 UTC+2

USD/JPY. Yen: Interrupted Flight

The USD/JPY pair dropped by 200 points over two days and on Tuesday hit a nearly four-week low, testing the support level at 142.70 (the middle line of the Bollinger

Irina Manzenko 00:38 2025-07-03 UTC+2

The Dollar Has Found Its Achilles' Heel

Be careful what you wish for. Euro supporters believe that EUR/USD will reach at least 1.25 by 2026. However, one must understand that while the eurozone may remain a unified

Marek Petkovich 00:38 2025-07-03 UTC+2

USD/JPY. Analysis and Forecast

Recent political and economic statements are having a significant impact on the USD/JPY pair's dynamics. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration over the prolonged trade talks with Japan

Irina Yanina 18:51 2025-07-02 UTC+2

Crowd sets tone, market follows

No fight. The S&P 500 managed to hit new record highs because market professionals — the so-called "smart money" — see no need to go against the prevailing momentum

Marek Petkovich 12:46 2025-07-02 UTC+2

AUD/USD. Analysis and Forecast

Today, the AUD/USD pair is retreating slightly from the new yearly high near 0.6590 reached yesterday and is trading within a narrow range. Nevertheless, the potential for further downside appears

Irina Yanina 12:44 2025-07-02 UTC+2

USD/CHF. Analysis and Forecast

The USD/CHF pair continues to trade within a narrow range above the 0.7900 level, remaining close to price levels last seen in 2011. The US dollar is showing some gains

Irina Yanina 11:58 2025-07-02 UTC+2

Investors Filled with Optimism, Driving Market Demand Higher (EUR/USD and GBP/USD Pairs May Face Corrective Declines)

Markets continue to react positively to the stabilization of the situation in the Middle East in anticipation of negotiations between Israel and Iran. Meanwhile, investors have shifted their full attention

Pati Gani 11:22 2025-07-02 UTC+2

Powell: Rates Could Be Lower If Not for Tariffs

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the U.S. central bank would likely have cut rates further this year if President Donald Trump had not overdone it with trade tariffs

Jakub Novak 10:50 2025-07-02 UTC+2

Strong Euro Increasingly Concerns ECB Policymakers

The euro has risen significantly this year, and officials at the European Central Bank (ECB) are becoming increasingly concerned that the rapid appreciation of the currency could derail efforts

Jakub Novak 09:24 2025-07-02 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.