Japan's Kiuchi says must stay alert to economic effects from Middle East conflict

Lallalit Srijandorn FXStreet

Japan's Economy Minister, Minoru Kiuchi, said on Tuesday that the government will respond swiftly while monitoring the economic impact of the Middle East conflict and price hikes on households and businesses.

Key quotes

See strong momentum in this year's wage negotiations, improvements in job conditions.

Effect of government steps likely to underpin moderate economic recovery.

Must be vigilant to impact on economy from Middle East conflict.

Government will act nimbly while keeping close eye out on economic fallout from Middle East conflict, effect of price rises on households and business activity.

Important to ensure market trust in Japan's finances, will keep close watch on daily market moves.

Administration's stance is to appropriate in annual budget any permanent spending measures, won't rule out extra budget to fund emergency, necessary measures.

Market reaction

At the time of writing, the USD/JPY pair is trading 0.06% higher on the day to trade at 158.92.

Japanese Yen FAQs

What key factors drive the Japanese Yen?

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.

How do the decisions of the Bank of Japan impact the Japanese Yen?

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 BoJ ultra-loose monetary policy between 2013 and 2024 caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks. More recently, the gradually unwinding of this ultra-loose policy has given some support to the Yen.

How does the differential between Japanese and US bond yields impact the Japanese Yen?

Over the last decade, 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 supported a widening of the differential between the 10-year US and Japanese bonds, which favored the US Dollar against the Japanese Yen. The BoJ decision in 2024 to gradually abandon the ultra-loose policy, coupled with interest-rate cuts in other major central banks, is narrowing this differential.

How does broader risk sentiment impact 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.

GBP/USD stays offered near 1.3370

GBP/USD remains on the back foot, slipping back toward the 1.3370 zone on Tuesday. Cable has come under pressure soon after testing the 1.3400 neighbourhood as investors turned more cautious in response to renewed effervescence on the geopolitical front.

EUR/USD stays offered below 1.1450

EUR/USD remains on the back foot ahead of the opening bell in Asia, returning to the low-1.1400s on the back of the resurgence of the demand for the US Dollar. Indeed, renewed jitters in the Middle East support the safe haven universe and weigh on the sentiment surrounding the risk complex. Moving forward, investors’ attention should shift to Wednesday’s FOMC Minutes.

Gold weakens toward $4,100

Gold adds to Monday’s decent pullback and trades close to the $4,100 mark per troy ounce on Tuesday. In the meantime, fresh geopolitical effervescence appear to have reignited inflation concerns, which in turn, limit any recovery attempt from the precious metal.

RBNZ set to increase interest rate after three pauses amid deeply divided committee

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is widely expected to raise the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points from 2.25% to 2.50% on Wednesday, snapping a three-consecutive-meeting pause.

Bye, forward guidance: How to trade when central banks choose silence

Central banks have spent years telling markets what might come next. Now, traders face the possibility that they say a lot less. From the Federal Reserve to the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, policymakers are pushing back against forward guidance, arguing that the current world demands more flexibility.