EUR/JPY holds near record highs as Yen weakens after BoJ; ECB decision eyed
- EUR/JPY surges to an all-time high as the Yen weakens sharply across the board following the Bank of Japan’s interest rate decision.
- The BoJ kept its policy rate unchanged at 0.50%, in a 7-2 vote, as policymakers maintained an accommodative stance.
- The Euro stays well-supported ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate decision due at 13:15 GMT.
The Euro (EUR) is holding firm against the Japanese Yen (JPY) after surging to record highs earlier in the day, as the Yen remains broadly weaker across major peers following the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) interest rate decision. At the time of writing, EUR/JPY is trading around 178.30, up nearly 0.60% on the day as traders await the European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy announcement.
The BoJ kept its short-term policy rate unchanged at 0.50%, in line with market expectations. The decision, passed by a 7-2 vote, saw board members Naoki Tamura and Hajime Takata dissent in favour of a 25 basis-point (bps) hike to 0.75%.
The central bank also maintained its dovish stance, signalling that monetary conditions would stay accommodative as policymakers monitor wage dynamics and inflation trends. The outcome reinforced investor perceptions that Japan’s rate normalisation will remain gradual, weighing on the Yen.
BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda maintained a cautious tone in his post-meeting remarks, saying that the central bank “will continue to raise the policy rate if the economy and prices move in line with forecasts, in accordance with improvements in the economy and prices.” However, when asked about the decision to hold off on a rate hike this time, Ueda noted that “overseas economies and trade policy uncertainties remain high."
Attention now turns to the ECB interest rate decision, due at 13:15 GMT. The central bank is widely expected to keep all three key policy rates unchanged, with the Deposit Facility Rate at 2.00%, the Main Refinancing Operations Rate (MRO) at 2.15%, and the Marginal Lending Facility Rate at 2.40%. Traders will closely watch President Christine Lagarde’s tone at the post-meeting press conference for clues on future policy direction.
Earlier in the day, preliminary data showed that Eurozone Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded 0.2% QoQ in the third quarter, slightly above the 0.1% forecast and up from 0.1% in the previous quarter. On an annual basis, GDP rose 1.3% YoY, surpassing expectations of 1.2% but easing from 1.5% in the prior reading. The figures highlight moderate but steady growth, supporting the ECB’s case for maintaining its current policy stance.
Japanese Yen Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Japanese Yen (JPY) against listed major currencies today. Japanese Yen was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.40% | 0.45% | 1.02% | 0.45% | 0.59% | 0.61% | 0.38% | |
| EUR | -0.40% | 0.05% | 0.62% | 0.05% | 0.17% | 0.21% | -0.02% | |
| GBP | -0.45% | -0.05% | 0.57% | -0.00% | 0.13% | 0.16% | -0.07% | |
| JPY | -1.02% | -0.62% | -0.57% | -0.58% | -0.42% | -0.43% | -0.66% | |
| CAD | -0.45% | -0.05% | 0.00% | 0.58% | 0.14% | 0.17% | -0.07% | |
| AUD | -0.59% | -0.17% | -0.13% | 0.42% | -0.14% | 0.04% | -0.20% | |
| NZD | -0.61% | -0.21% | -0.16% | 0.43% | -0.17% | -0.04% | -0.21% | |
| CHF | -0.38% | 0.02% | 0.07% | 0.66% | 0.07% | 0.20% | 0.21% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Japanese Yen from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent JPY (base)/USD (quote).
Author
Vishal Chaturvedi
FXStreet
I am a macro-focused research analyst with over four years of experience covering forex and commodities market. I enjoy breaking down complex economic trends and turning them into clear, actionable insights that help traders stay ahead of the curve.
