USD/JPY hits two-week highs near 153.50 as BoJ tightening hopes fade
- The Yen extends losses on dovish BoJ comments and higher US Yields.
- Hopes of gradual easing by the Fed are keeping the US Dollar buoyed.
- US data seen this week revealed that inflation pressures are picking up.
The US Dollar is trading higher on Friday, approaching the 153.50 area supported by the widening gap between US and Japanese Treasury yields, as hopes of a BoJ hike next week fade.
A Bloomberg report citing BoJ officials revealed that the bank sees little cost in waiting to hike rates. These comments have boosted speculation that the Bank will keep rates on hold next week hammering the Yen across the board.
In the US, data released on Thursday was mixed, with US Jobless Claims increasing against expectations and Producer Prices accelerating beyond the market consensus.
These figures, coupled with the strong US CPI reading seen earlier this week, confirm that inflation pressures are picking up and endorse the view of only gradual Fed easing next year.
US Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.22% | 0.16% | 0.60% | -0.05% | -0.12% | -0.00% | 0.17% | |
| EUR | 0.22% | 0.38% | 0.84% | 0.17% | 0.10% | 0.21% | 0.39% | |
| GBP | -0.16% | -0.38% | 0.45% | -0.21% | -0.29% | -0.17% | 0.00% | |
| JPY | -0.60% | -0.84% | -0.45% | -0.64% | -0.73% | -0.62% | -0.44% | |
| CAD | 0.05% | -0.17% | 0.21% | 0.64% | -0.08% | 0.06% | 0.21% | |
| AUD | 0.12% | -0.10% | 0.29% | 0.73% | 0.08% | 0.12% | 0.29% | |
| NZD | 0.00% | -0.21% | 0.17% | 0.62% | -0.06% | -0.12% | 0.17% | |
| CHF | -0.17% | -0.39% | -0.00% | 0.44% | -0.21% | -0.29% | -0.17% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
Author
Guillermo Alcala
FXStreet
Graduated in Communication Sciences at the Universidad del Pais Vasco and Universiteit van Amsterdam, Guillermo has been working as financial news editor and copywriter in diverse Forex-related firms, like FXStreet and Kantox.
