Japan’s Kanda stands ready to intervene 24 hours a day if necessary
Japan's top currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, who will instruct the BoJ to intervene, when he judges it necessary, said on Monday that he will take appropriate steps if there is excessive forex move. However, Kanda declined to comment if recent forex moves are excessive.
Key quotes
Warns of negative economic impact from excessive forex movements.
To take appropriate measures if forex fluctuations are considered excessive.
US FX report has no impact on Japan's forex policy.
Maintains daily contact with global peers on foreign exchange.
States readiness to intervene if necessary.
Sees no consideration of specific levels for intervention.
Stands ready to intervene 24 hours a day if necessary.
Market reaction
The Japanese Yen (JPY) holds steady following the verbal intervention from Japan’s Kanda. At the time of writing, USD/JPY was trading at 159.85, gaining 0.02% on the day.
Japanese Yen FAQs
The Japanese Yen (JPY) is one of the world’s most traded currencies. Its value is broadly determined by the performance of the Japanese economy, but more specifically by the Bank of Japan’s policy, the differential between Japanese and US bond yields, or risk sentiment among traders, among other factors.
One of the Bank of Japan’s mandates is currency control, so its moves are key for the Yen. The BoJ has directly intervened in currency markets sometimes, generally to lower the value of the Yen, although it refrains from doing it often due to political concerns of its main trading partners. The current BoJ ultra-loose monetary policy, based on massive stimulus to the economy, has caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers. This process has exacerbated more recently due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks, which have opted to increase interest rates sharply to fight decades-high levels of inflation.
The BoJ’s stance of sticking to ultra-loose monetary policy has led to a widening policy divergence with other central banks, particularly with the US Federal Reserve. This supports a widening of the differential between the 10-year US and Japanese bonds, which favors the US Dollar against the Japanese Yen.
The Japanese Yen is often seen as a safe-haven investment. This means that in times of market stress, investors are more likely to put their money in the Japanese currency due to its supposed reliability and stability. Turbulent times are likely to strengthen the Yen’s value against other currencies seen as more risky to invest in.
Author
Lallalit Srijandorn
FXStreet
Lallalit Srijandorn is a Parisian at heart. She has lived in France since 2019 and now becomes a digital entrepreneur based in Paris and Bangkok.
