USD/JPY extends the rally above 156.00, eyes on US PPI data

The USD/JPY pair extends the rally around 156.20 during the early Asian trading hours on Tuesday. The Japanese Yen loses ground against the US Dollar (USD) despite the hawkish signal from the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to cut purchases of Japanese government bonds on Monday and the downbeat Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) for April last week. 

Investors will take more cues from the key US economic data this week, including the Producer Price Index (PPI), Consumer Price Index (CPI), and Retail Sales. These reports will offer some hints as to whether inflation remains stubborn, is receding somewhat, or is even perhaps increasing. The PPI figure, a measure of inflation at the wholesale level, is due on Tuesday and is expected to rise 2.2% YoY in April. The core PPI, excluding energy and food costs, is projected to increase by 2.4% YoY in the same report period. Traders might use the PPI report to gauge the potential CPI outcome, and the hotter-than-expected data might continue to boost the US Dollar (USD) against the Japanese Yen (JPY). 

On the JPY’s front, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) sent a hawkish signal on Monday by reducing the amount of Japanese government bonds (JGBs) it offered to buy in a regular purchase operation. This move is expected to put upward pressure on Japanese bond yields and possibly narrow the gap between Japan and the United States, which has weakened the JPY. However, the recent move was muted and had little effect on the Yen. On the Japanese docket, the nation’s GDP growth number for Q1 2024 will be released on Thursday. The stronger reading might lift the JPY and cap the upside of the USD/JPY pair in the near term.