empty
02.05.2024 01:41 AM
Bank of Japan is trapped and increasingly dependent on the Fed's stance. Overview of USD/JPY

Apparently, the Japanese authorities did conduct a currency intervention on April 29th. The USD/JPY pair came close to the 160 mark, after which it quickly fell to 154.50.

A weak yen carries too many problems for the Japanese economy. Rapid currency depreciation leads to higher import costs, which, amid the threat of persistent inflation, may trigger a rise in domestic inflation in Japan in the second half of the year.

The main driver of the yen's weakness is the yield spread between US and Japanese bonds.

This image is no longer relevant

As the forecast for the Federal Reserve rate cut continues to shift further and further into 2025, and the Bank of Japan exhibits manic caution and hesitates to raise rates, any confirmation of this scenario will push USD/JPY higher, forcing Japanese authorities to intervene again and again. This will continue until the yield spread starts changing in the opposite direction.

However, this can only happen after the first Fed rate cut, and the further the rate forecast shifts, the stronger the pressure mounts on the yen.

As expected, the BOJ kept its monetary policy unchanged. Unlike the March meeting, where the decision was made to raise rates and end the yield curve control program, the decision was unanimous, indicating that the BOJ has paused while waiting for specific details from the Fed. New forecasts were also published, with the Bank expecting inflation to reach 2.1% by the fiscal year 2026. Markets interpret the forecast change as a decision to raise rates by 0.1% in the near future, but take note that there are no clear dates in the final statement or at the press conference.

The net short JPY position increased by $1.15 billion to -$14.5 billion over the reporting week. The bearish bias remains intact with no signs of a reversal. The price is rapidly rising.

This image is no longer relevant

In the long term, nothing has changed for the yen. A pullback after an intervention cannot have a long-term impact. The pair will likely move towards the 160 level again, probably followed by another intervention. The trading strategy in the current conditions involves selling just below the 160 level in anticipation of an intervention, which is quite risky but may be successful as long as the BOJ remains constrained by the prevailing situation.

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

The ECB May Cut Interest Rates Twice

The euro is showing a sharp rally against the U.S. dollar. The EUR/USD pair has already reached a three-year high and shows no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile, according

Jakub Novak 12:42 2025-04-11 UTC+2

AUD/USD. Analysis and Forecast

The AUD/USD pair is attempting to attract buyers in its rebound from the psychological level of 0.5900, marking its lowest point since March 2020. The upward momentum has managed

Irina Yanina 12:39 2025-04-11 UTC+2

Markets Face a Prolonged Period of Instability (USD/JPY and USD/CHF Likely to Continue Falling)

On Thursday, investors realized there is currently no such thing as stability. High market volatility remains and will continue to dominate for some time. The ongoing cause of this remains

Pati Gani 09:11 2025-04-11 UTC+2

The Market Has Grown Used to Chaos

What is life if not a game? In past years, investors focused on the standoff between the Federal Reserve and financial markets. But in 2025, the rules of the game

Marek Petkovich 08:42 2025-04-11 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on April 11? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

A relatively large number of macroeconomic events are scheduled for Friday, but none are expected to impact the market. Of course, we may see short-term reactions to individual reports

Paolo Greco 06:04 2025-04-11 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview. April 11: The Market Didn't Believe Trump

The GBP/USD currency pair also traded higher on Thursday. As a reminder, macroeconomic and traditional fundamental factors currently have little to no influence on currency movements. The only thing that

Paolo Greco 03:28 2025-04-11 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview. April 11: The American Comedy Continues

The EUR/USD currency pair declined sharply overnight on Wednesday but showed some recovery during the day. On Thursday, there was further growth—this series of fluctuations can only be described

Paolo Greco 03:28 2025-04-11 UTC+2

Trading Recommendations and Analysis for GBP/USD on April 11: The Dollar Takes a Double Hit

The GBP/USD currency pair also showed strong growth on Thursday, although not as strong as the EUR/USD pair. The pound gained only around 200 pips—which isn't a considerable move under

Paolo Greco 03:28 2025-04-11 UTC+2

EUR/USD. A Message from the Past: U.S. CPI Report Fails to Support the Dollar

The CPI report released on Thursday showed weaker-than-expected inflation. The market responded accordingly: the U.S. dollar came under renewed pressure (the U.S. Dollar Index fell into the 100.00 range)

Irina Manzenko 00:47 2025-04-11 UTC+2

The Euro Charges Ahead. Opponents Retreat

A rally in European stock indices, slowing U.S. inflation, and the fact that the average U.S. tariff has not changed significantly despite the 90-day deferral all contributed to the rise

Marek Petkovich 00:47 2025-04-11 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.