JPY: BOJ policy rate is still expected to peak around 1.00% – Société Générale

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

Japanese Yen (JPY) is outperforming and 10-year JGB yields edged up to almost 1.30%, highest level since April 2011, Société Générale's FX analysts note.

JPY is outperforming and 10-year JGB yields

"Japan wage growth ran hot in December. Nominal cash earnings came in 1.1pts higher than expected at near a three-decade high of 4.8% y/y vs. 3.9% in November (revised up from 3.0%) reflecting a jump in bonuses."

"The less volatile scheduled pay growth for full-time workers matched consensus at 2.8% y/y vs. 2.7% y/y in November and is down from a series high of 3% in July 2024. This is consistent with the Bank of Japan (BOJ) projection for inflation to stabilize around its 2% target in 2026 assuming productivity growth of 1%."

"Bottom line: the BOJ policy rate is still expected to peak around 1.00% over the next two years which curtails upside for JPY and JGB yields."

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

EUR/USD keeps the bid bias just over 1.1800

EUR/USD has started the week on a positive foot, hovering around the 1.1800 region in the latter part of Monday’s session. The pair’s recovery comes on the back of a decent decline in the US Dollar, as investors keep their attention on the evolving US–EU trade relationship after President Trump’s announcement of sweeping global tariff hikes.

GBP/USD looks stuck around 1.3500 amid firm gains

GBP/USD is pushing further north on Monday, revisiting the 1.3500 hurdle and beyond. Cable’s uptick is largely being fuelled by the broader softness in the Greenback, amid lingering uncertainty around tariffs.

Gold pops above $5,200, four-week highs

Gold is holding onto its bullish tone on Monday, reaching new multi-week highs just past the $5,200 mark per troy ounce. Fresh trade-war concerns, coupled with rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, are keeping demand for the yellow metal well on the rise.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP intensify sell-off as tariff uncertainty weighs

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are trading amid increasing selling pressure at the time of writing on Monday, as investors react to fresh trade uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s push for more tariffs.

Supreme Court nixes tariffs, Trump teases 15% global tariff

On February 20th, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s global tariffs under IEEPA authority were unconstitutional, effectively nullifying the framework. However, the relief was short-lived. Within hours, Trump floated a 15% blanket tariff under an alternative legal authority.

XRP recovers slightly as bearish sentiment dominates crypto market

Ripple is rising above $1.40 at the time of writing on Monday amid fresh tariff-triggered headwinds in the broader cryptocurrency market. The sell-off to $1.33, the token’s intraday low, can be attributed to macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and risk-averse sentiment among other factors.