Japanese Yen declines as Tokyo Core CPI eases

The Japanese yen has extended its losses on Friday.  In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 150.39, up 0.40% on the day.

Tokyo core CPI edges lower to 2.2%

After a string of releases that pointed to an upswing in inflation, Tokyo core CPI for February reversed the trend on Friday.  Japan’s CPI, PPI and the Bank of Japan Core CPI all accelerated in the most recent releases but Tokyo Core CPI surprised to the downside, with a gain of 2.2% y/y.  This was down from 2.5% in January and below the market estimate of 2.3%.

The soft Tokyo Core CPI reading is unlikely to raise many eyebrows at the Bank of Japan. The index remained above the BoJ’s 2% target for a fourth consecutive month and Bank policymakers are expected to remain hawkish about monetary policy.  The BoJ raised rates in January and also revised its inflation forecasts upwards, a signal that further rate hikes are on the table.

The markets are expecting the BoJ to continue tightening and this has been resulted in higher yields for Japanese government bonds, which hit a 15-year high earlier this month. Governor Kazuo Ueda responded to the sharp rise in bond yields with a warning that the central bank stood ready to intervene in the bond markets. Ueda’s threat appears to have worked as bond yields have retreated slightly.

US Core PCE expected to tick lower

The US wraps up the week with core PCE inflation, the Fed’s peferred inflation gauge. The market estimates for January stand at 2.6% y/y (vs. 2.8% in December) and 0.2% m/m (vs. 0.3% in December). This would still be above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%. The Fed is not expected to lower rates before May, barring an unexpected surprise from inflation or employment data.

USD/JPY technical

• USD/JPY tested resistance at 150.39 earlier.  Above, there is resistance at 150.98.

• There is support at 149.57 and 148.98.