Japan manufacturers' business mood worsens again on pandemic woes – Reuters Tankan Survey

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

According to the latest monthly Reuters Tankan survey, released on Wednesday, the Japanese business morale remains dented by rising worries over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.

Key findings

Japan manufacturers index -46 in June vs -44 in May.

Reuters Tankan manufacturers' index remains at the lowest level since June 2009.

Japan non-manufacturers index -32 in June vs -36 in May.

Reuters Tankan non-manufacturers' index edges up from more than decade lows.

Japan manufacturers September index seen at -35, non-manufacturers -29.

"Orders have fallen to around 70% due to global economic stagnation caused by the spread of the new coronavirus," a manager at a transport equipment maker noted in the survey.

Market reaction

The downbeat survey has little to no impact on the yen, as USD/JPY keeps its range play intact around 107.35 so far this session.

USD/JPY Price Analysis: Range play intact within a potential symmetrical triangle

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

AUD/USD sticks to neutral bias above 0.7100 amid cautious markets

AUD/USD holds steady above 0.7100 in the Asian session on Monday as the US Dollar stalls its modest pullback from the highest level since late July amid persistent geopolitical uncertainties. The PBOC status quo on Loan Prime Rates also weighs on the Aussie. However, bets on another RBA rate hike continue to underpin the Australian Dollar ahead of the Trump-Xi Summit.

USD/JPY eases below 157.00 amid looming intervention risks

USD/JPY is easing back below 157.00 in Asia on Monday, undermined by modest Japanese Yen strength amid looming intervention risks after Friday's BoJ rate check. A Japanese holiday also keeps traders on edge amid escalating geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East. As a result, the US Dollar pauses its pullback, limiting the pair's downside.

Gold meets resistance around $4,400

Gold kicks in the new trading with on the back foot, keeping its trade near $4,350 per troy ounce. The precious metal’s correction comes on the back of the firmer US Dollar and espite declining US Treasury yields across the curve.

Bitcoin hits $85,000 for the first time in eight months

Bitcoin price reclaims $85,000 on Monday, advancing last week’s 5% recovery toward an eight-month high. The recovery in King Crypto aligns with renewed institutional demand, with Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) recording $433 million in inflows on Friday.

The week ahead: Fuel prices in focus as we lead up to key eco releases

Financial markets are in a strange position as we move to the final weeks of Q3, uncertainty and volatility continue to grip markets, but the oil price is falling; and European and US stocks are poised to open higher later on Monday. Market stresses are concentrated in sovereign bonds, and European and US yields had another scare late on Friday, and moved higher.

BoJ Recap: Not as hawkish as expected

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised its short-term interest-rate target to 1.25% from 1.00% in a 7-2 vote, marking another step in the normalisation of monetary policy and widely matching what everyone has been expecting for weeks.