The value of the US currency against the yen jumped to a maximum since August 1990 after the Japanese Central Bank announced an unscheduled redemption of government bonds. This decision was made following the jump in the yield of 10-year Japanese government bonds above the upper limit of the Central Bank’s target range of 0.25% per annum.
The dollar against the yen soared to 149.98 yen compared to 149.9 yen at the close of the previous session.
The Bank of Japan maintains an ultra-loose monetary policy, thus seeking to support the country’s economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. His policy is seriously at odds with the actions of other world central banks, raising rates to curb inflation, notes Trading Economics. This continues to put pressure on the yen and requires the Japanese Central Bank to adjust the policy of controlling the yield curve of government bonds.
The ICE-calculated index, which shows the dynamics of the dollar against six currencies (the euro, the Swiss franc, the yen, the Canadian dollar, the pound sterling and the Swedish krona), lost 0.14% on Thursday, the broader WSJ Dollar Index lost 0.05%.
The euro/dollar pair is trading at $0.9792 as of 9:15 Moscow time, compared to $0.9775 at the close of the market on Wednesday.
The pound sterling fell by this time to $1.1221 against $1.1218 the day before.
The dollar remains strong and any downward adjustments will be short-lived as long as the Federal Reserve (Fed) continues to raise the base rate, said ING analyst Francesco Pesole, quoted by Dow Jones.
The Fed’s Beige Book regional survey published on Wednesday showed that forecasts for the US economy have become more pessimistic amid growing concerns about weakening demand.
Economic activity in the country at the beginning of autumn generally slightly increased, but the situation was different in different industries and regions. Four of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks (FRB) said that activity in their districts did not change, and two reported a decrease. Negative factors were higher interest rates and inflation, as well as disruptions in supply chains.