|

USD/JPY: Bank of Japan cautious on hiking – BBH

According to Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) analysts, USD/JPY has retraced about 50% of last week’s decline and is trading just under 155.00. The Bank of Japan's recent policy meeting reinforced a cautious hiking bias, with a base case for another rate hike expected at the April 28 meeting. The swaps market is pricing in a 20% chance of a March hike and about 70% for April.

BOJ maintains cautious hiking bias

"USD/JPY has retraced about 50% of last week’s plunge and is trading just under 155.00. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) January 22-23 policy meeting Summary of Opinions reinforces the bank’s cautious hiking bias."

"The swaps market price-in 20% odds of a March rate hike, and about 70% odds of an April rate increase. Our base case is for the BOJ to deliver another hike at the April 28 meeting - after the Shunto spring wage negotiations, which typically wrap up by mid-March."

"This suggests there is plenty of room for the BOJ to normalize rates closer to the mid-point of its neutral policy range estimate (between 1% and 2.5%)."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor.)

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

GBP/USD drops to multi-month troughs near 1.3140

GBP/USD adds to Tuesday’s pullback and recedes to the lowest level since November 2025 near 1.3140. A firmer Greenback and continued political turmoil in the UK are keeping Cable under persistent pressure, with little sign of a meaningful recovery.

EUR/USD bounces off YTD lows around 1.1320

EUR/USD extends its decline on Wednesday, falling to fresh yearly lows near 1.1320. The pair remains on the defensive as the US Dollar continues to draw support from hawkish Fed expectations and uncertainty over the outcome of US-Iran peace negotiations.

Gold trims losses, back above $4,000

Gold retreats further and breaches below the key $4,000 mark per troy ounce for the first time since November 2025 on Wednesday. Higher-for-longer Fed expectations and a broadly firmer US Dollar continue to weigh on the precious metal, while uncertainty surrounding a potential US-Iran peace agreement has done little to revive demand for the safe haven space.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP trade under pressure as September Fed rate-hike odds increase

Bitcoin is trading between $62,000 and $63,000 at the time of writing on Wednesday, weighed down by headwinds stemming from macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

5.90% to 5.45%: Why the Pound ignored the bond market’s relief rally

Keir Starmer resigned on Monday, and the Pound barely moved. That near-silence is the tell. Sterling's real driver these past four months has not been the prime minister, nor the left-leaning frontrunner lining up to replace him, but the long end of the gilt curve, which answers to a force no British politician controls.

Regime change: Inside Kevin Warsh's first move to make the Fed unreadable on purpose

The rate did not move. That was the least interesting thing about Kevin Warsh's first meeting in charge of the Fed. The FOMC held its benchmark at 3.50%-3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, exactly as priced, and then the new chair used his first press conference to dismantle the machinery the market has leaned on for a decade.