|

No major JPY strengthening will come so long as the Fed and ECB keep rates unchanged – Nordea

BoJ hiking could help the Japanese Yen (JPY) somewhat, but for a much stronger JPY the Fed needs to cut rates markedly, economists at Nordea say.

BoJ is at the onset of raising rates after high wage growth

While the USD sets the tone for most currencies, the JPY could finally be in for some slight relief now that the BoJ is at the beginning of its hiking cycle. 

We believe that the BoJ will signal next Tuesday that rates will likely be raised at the April meeting after the announcement for wage growth above 5% for the largest workers union. With wage growth the highest in three decades and inflation above 2%, the negative interest rate era in Japa is about to end. However, we don’t expect a massive rate hiking cycle from the BoJ. 

The BoJ will take baby steps when hiking rates to ensure that the inflation dynamic is around 2%. As such, no major JPY strengthening will come so long as the Fed and ECB keep rates unchanged.

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

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.

More from FXStreet Insights Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD climbs to daily highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD now picks up pace and advances to the area of daily peaks north of the 1.1800 barrier at the end of the week. The pair’s decent move higher comes against the backdrop of a generalised lack of direction in the FX galaxy and the mild offered stance in the US Dollar.

GBP/USD trims losses, retests 1.3460

After briefly challenging its key 200-day SMA near 1.3440, GBP/USD now manages to regain some balance and revisit the 1.3460 zone on Friday. Cable’s pullback comes as the selling pressure on the Greenback gathers traction, reigniting some recovery in the risk-linked space.

Gold flirts with four-week highs past $5,200

Gold extends its rebound, climbing for a third consecutive session and pushing back above the $5,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The move higher continues to draw support from lingering geopolitical tensions and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding US trade policy, both of which are keeping safe-haven demand firmly in play.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary. 

Breaking: US and Israel attack Iran, risk aversion to sweep global markets

Early Saturday, United States (US) President Donald Trump announced that the US had begun “major combat operations” in Iran, following Israel’s pre-emptive missile attacks against Tehran.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.