- USD/JPY soars above 143.00 as Japan Ishiba emphasized the need for an accommodative policy stance.
- Investors await Fed Powell’s speech for fresh interest rate guidance.
- The Fed is expected to cut interest rates further by 75 bps this year.
The USD/JPY pair surges strongly above 143.00 in Monday’s North American session. The asset strengthens as dovish remarks from Japan’s new leader Shigeru Ishiba, who came out victorious in the Prime Ministerial contest on Friday, weighs heavily on the Japanese Yen (JPY).
Shigeru Ishiba said in an interview with public broadcaster NHK in Monday’s Asian trading hours, "From the government's standpoint, monetary policy must remain accommodative as a trend given current economic conditions."
For more interest rate cues, investors will focus on the Bank of Japan (BoJ) Summary Of Opinions (SOP) for the latest monetary policy meeting that took place on September 20. In the monetary policy announcement, the BoJ left interest rates unchanged at 0.1%-0.25% and guided them to remain data-dependent. While investors were anticipating hawkish remarks for the last quarter of the year.
Meanwhile, a slight recovery in the US Dollar has also weighed on the pair. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, recovers its intraday losses and rises to near 100.50. The Greenback gains ahead of Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s speech, which is scheduled at 17:00 GMT.
Investors will pay close attention to Powell’s interest rate guidance to know how much the Fed will cut interest rates in the remainder of the year.
According to the CME FedWatch tool, the Fed is expected to reduce interest rates further by 75 basis points (bps), suggesting that there will be another 50 basis points (bps) in any of the two remaining meetings in November and December. On September 18, the Fed started its rate-cut cycle with a larger-than-usual cut of 50 bps.
Japanese Yen FAQs
The Japanese Yen (JPY) is one of the world’s most traded currencies. Its value is broadly determined by the performance of the Japanese economy, but more specifically by the Bank of Japan’s policy, the differential between Japanese and US bond yields, or risk sentiment among traders, among other factors.
One of the Bank of Japan’s mandates is currency control, so its moves are key for the Yen. The BoJ has directly intervened in currency markets sometimes, generally to lower the value of the Yen, although it refrains from doing it often due to political concerns of its main trading partners. The BoJ ultra-loose monetary policy between 2013 and 2024 caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks. More recently, the gradually unwinding of this ultra-loose policy has given some support to the Yen.
Over the last decade, the BoJ’s stance of sticking to ultra-loose monetary policy has led to a widening policy divergence with other central banks, particularly with the US Federal Reserve. This supported a widening of the differential between the 10-year US and Japanese bonds, which favored the US Dollar against the Japanese Yen. The BoJ decision in 2024 to gradually abandon the ultra-loose policy, coupled with interest-rate cuts in other major central banks, is narrowing this differential.
The Japanese Yen is often seen as a safe-haven investment. This means that in times of market stress, investors are more likely to put their money in the Japanese currency due to its supposed reliability and stability. Turbulent times are likely to strengthen the Yen’s value against other currencies seen as more risky to invest in.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD holds firm above 1.1100 ahead of US inflation data
EUR/USD clings to marginal gains above 1.1100 in the European session on Tuesday. The pair firms up as the US Dollar extends pullback as traders resort to repositioning ahead of the key US CPI data release. ZEW Survey - Economic Sentiment in the Eurozone improved to 11.6 in May from -18.5 in April.
GBP/USD stays well bid near 1.3200 after UK employment data
After posting large losses on Monday, GBP/USD trades marginally higher at around 1.3200 in the European session on Tuesday. The data from the UK showed that the ILO Unemployment Rate edged higher to 4.5% in the three months to April, as expected.
Gold price recovers as US-China trade agreement euphoria fades quickly
Gold rebounds and trades near $3,260 at the time of writing on Tuesday, recovering from the 2.65% drop the previous day after the US-China trade deal was announced. Traders are starting to get wary about the lack of detail in the announcement, and another flare-up could propel bullion back toward the record high set last month.
US CPI set to show stable inflation in April as markets weigh early impact of tariffs
The high-impact United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report for April will be published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday at 12:30 GMT. The inflation index is forecast to rise at an annual rate of 2.4% in April, at the same pace as in March. The core CPI inflation is expected to stay at 2.8% year-over-year (YoY) in the reported period.
US-China trade truce only emphasizes timeless investing truths
Markets roared back to life as the US and China hit pause on their escalating trade war, with both sides emphasizing mutual respect and dignity. But it wasn’t the fine print that moved markets—it was the mood shift. Investors rushed back into risk assets, betting that the worst might be behind us.
The Best brokers to trade EUR/USD
SPONSORED Discover the top brokers for trading EUR/USD in 2025. Our list features brokers with competitive spreads, fast execution, and powerful platforms. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, find the right partner to navigate the dynamic Forex market.