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☆ Yen eases despite intervention threat, Aussie steady before RBA
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The yen continued to drift lower against the dollar on Tuesday as gaping interest rate differentials weighed on the currency, despite fresh warnings from Japanese officials following two rounds of suspected dollar-selling intervention last week. The U.S. dollar gained 0.22% to 154.235 yen in early Asian trading, adding to its 0.58% rally from Monday. The Aussie edged up 0.17% to $0.6636, heading back towards the high of $0.6650 from Friday, a level last seen on March 8. All but one of the 37 economists surveyed in a Reuters poll expect the RBA to keep rates on hold, with the other predicting a quarter point rate hike, amid stubbornly high inflation. "A different set of central bankers would have had the policy rate higher sooner on the same set of data," Taylor Nugent, a markets economist at National Australia Bank, wrote in a note.

Persons: Michele Bullock, Masato Kanda, Carol Kong, Bullock, Taylor Nugent Organizations: U.S, Reserve Bank of Australia, The U.S ., Bank of Japan, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Federal, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bank of, National Australia Bank Locations: The, Japan

☆ Yen gives up ground vs dollar following surge on suspected intervention
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An attendant holds a sample of newly-designed Japanese 10,000 yen banknote, with three-dimensional holographic technology to prevent forgery, for a photograph at the National Printing Bureau Tokyo plant in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. The yen gave up ground in early trade on Thursday, reversing direction after a sudden surge against the dollar overnight that traders and analysts were quick to attribute to intervention by Japanese authorities. The dollar was 0.9% higher at 155.98 yen as of 0100 GMT, retracing about half of its late Wednesday surge from around 157.55 to exactly 153 over a period of about 30 minutes. "The 'sneak attack' element really is the MOF (Japan's Ministry of Finance) looking to punish speculators and send a warning about shorting the yen." That helped lift the dollar to a 34-year peak of 160.245 yen on Monday and also spurred a sharp reversal which official data suggested was due to Japanese intervention totalling about $35 billion.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Masato Kanda, Kyle Rodda, Sterling, Powell, Jack Mclntyre Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Federal Reserve, Reuters, Capital.com, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Bank of Japan, Brandywine Locations: National Printing Bureau Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Melbourne

☆ Japan FX tsar Kanda says speculation behind weak yen, ready to take action
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Masato Kanda, vice-minister of finance for international affairs at Japan's Ministry of Finance, during a press conference after the Group of 20 (G-20) finance ministers and central bank governors meeting. "Looking at currencies, the dollar/yen pair has gone through big fluctuations of 4% over only the past two weeks," Kanda told reporters. Kanda described the recent yen moves as "speculative." He said he wouldn't rule out any measures but stands ready to respond appropriately to the currency's move. He added he has been closely watching currency moves with a sense of urgency, even when he was travelling overseas over the weekend.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Kanda Organizations: Japan's Ministry of Finance

☆ Japanese investors slow investments in overseas bonds and equities in Oct
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

According to the data, domestic investors accumulated a net 1.12 trillion yen ($7.40 billion) worth of overseas bonds last month in a third straight month of net buying. They also poured 736.6 billion yen into foreign equities, much lesser than about 1.17 trillion yen they put in the previous month. Japanese banks poured a net 609.2 billion yen into long-term overseas bonds last month after about 4.76 trillion yen worth of net buying a month ago. Meanwhile, trust accounts and insurers pulled out a net 210.8 billion yen and 270.6 billion yen, respectively. Year-to-date data indicated that Japanese investors were net purchasers of U.S. bonds, buying about 18.81 trillion yen worth by September, while they emerged as net sellers of European debt, offloading 1.25 trillion yen.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Gaurav Dogra, Patturaja, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Japan's Ministry, Finance, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar rebuffed from 150 level vs yen after Powell/Treasuries double-whammy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Yet this has not translated into a similar boost to the dollar this week, which made only marginal gains while toying with the 150 level against the yen. This number marks the point at which many market participants believe Japan's Ministry of Finance (MOF) could step in to shore up the currency. Speculators have almost doubled their bullish dollar positions against other G10 currencies this month to the most in a year. Money markets show traders fully expect to see no change in rates at the Fed's next policy meeting.

Persons: Florence Lo, Jerome Powell, Jeremy Stretch, Stretch, Omori, POWELL, Powell, Ray Attrill, he's, Sterling, Carol Kong, Rae Wee, Kevin Buckland, Kim Coghill, Angus MacSwan, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Federal, Treasury, Swiss, Japan's, of Finance, CIBC Capital Markets, Ministry, Finance, Mizuho Securities, National Australia Bank, Swiss National Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Treasuries, Japan, Tokyo, U.S, Asia, China, Singapore

☆ Dollar toys with 150 level vs yen after Powell/Treasuries double-whammy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Speculators have almost doubled their bullish dollar positions against other G10 currencies this month to the most in a year. This week's bond sell-off has raised the chances of a break of 150 in the currency. Money markets show traders fully expect to see no change in rates at the Fed's next policy meeting. The Swissie was last down against the dollar, which rose 0.2% to 0.8935 per dollar.

Persons: Florence Lo, Jerome Powell, Jeremy Stretch, Stretch, Omori, POWELL, Powell, Ray Attrill, he's, Sterling, Carol Kong, Rae Wee, Kevin Buckland, Shri Navaratnam, Kim Coghill, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Federal, Treasury, Swiss, Japan's, of Finance, CIBC Capital Markets, Ministry, Finance, Mizuho Securities, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Treasuries, Japan, Tokyo, U.S, Asia, China, Singapore

Japan's vice minister of finance for international affairs, Masato Kanda, poses for a photograph during an interview with Reuters at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo, Japan January 31, 2022. Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs at Japan's Ministry of Finance (MOF), also said that if excessive moves occurred in the currency market, the government would take steps such as raising interest rates or intervening in the market. "We will firmly take appropriate steps when necessary," Kanda told reporters during an ad hoc news conference. Various factors determine currency rates and long-term interest rates are "only one factor", Kanda said. "Relatively speaking, global funds are still flowing into the dollar, yen and Swiss franc and pound, with many people describing the moves as 'textbook-style' moves," he said, referring to safe-haven flows.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Issei Kato, Kanda, Tetsushi, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Finance Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, Swiss, Japan's Ministry of Finance, International Monetary Fund, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Israel, Palestinian

☆ Yen intervention a hard sell even as 150 to the dollar 'red line' beckons
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But, Japanese authorities could find propping up their currency both difficult to achieve and hard to justify. To make even a ripple in the $5 trillion currency market, the BOJ would need to draw down massive amounts of dollar reserves. Wakabayashi, like many other analysts and investors, considers the 150 yen per dollar level a red line for currency intervention, not least because of its significance as a symbol of climbing costs of living from imported food and fuel. INTERVENTION IMMINENTThe yen careened to a 32-year trough at 151.94 last October before being reined in by several bouts of heavy intervention, the first by Japanese authorities in a generation. Measures of expected market volatility remain subdued.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Bank of Japan's hesitancy, Kazuo Ueda, You've, they're, Bart Wakabayashi, Fumio Kishida, Shunichi Suzuki, Masayuki Kichikawa, Ray Attrill, Janet Yellen, Aninda Mitra, Mitra, Kevin Buckland, Alun John, Vidya Ranganathan, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan's, U.S . Federal Reserve, U.S, Treasury, Fed, State Street Bank, Trust, Finance, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, Ministry of Finance, National Australia Bank, BNY Mellon Investment Management, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Washington, Asia, London

☆ Take Five: A central bank bonanza
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Now it's the turn of the world's most important central bank. Also on Thursday, the Bank of England is tipped to hike for the 15th consecutive meeting, taking benchmark borrowing costs to 5.5%. Norway's central bank is also expected to nudge benchmark borrowing costs higher, following a 25 bps rise in August to 4%. Reuters Graphics4/ DIVERGING TRAJECTORIESThe push and pull factors on central banks are nowhere more visible than in emerging markets. But for Turkey's central bank, convening on Thursday, the only way is up.

Persons: Lewis Krauskopf, Kevin Buckland, Amanda Cooper, Naomi Rovnick, Karin Strohecker, Jerome Powell, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, hypothesise, Tayyip Erdogan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: U.S . Federal, ECB, Bank of England, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Japan's, of Finance, Thomson Locations: Central, Lewis, New York, Tokyo, London, United States, Europe, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Norway's, Latin America, South Africa, Egypt, Taiwan

[1/3] Euro currency bills are pictured at the Croatian National Bank in Zagreb, Croatia, May 21, 2019. The services component sank to 48.3 from 50.9, its first time below the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction this year. The single currency weakened after the German data, hitting its lowest level against the dollar since June 15 at $1.0805. "The decline in services activity was a sharp move and we've seen a soft euro environment," said Niels Christensen, chief analyst at Nordea. The spot yuan opened at 7.2870 per dollar on Wednesday and was last changing hands at 7.2899.

Persons: Antonio Bronic, Niels Christensen, Martin Beck, Jerome Powell's, Powell, Nordea's Christensen, Colin Asher, Samuel Indyk, Ankur Banerjee, Kim Coghill, Mark Potter, Chizu Organizations: Croatian National Bank, REUTERS, P, European Central Bank, PMI, Bank of England, Reuters, Federal, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Mizuho, Thomson Locations: Zagreb, Croatia, Britain, July's, U.S, Europe, tenterhooks, Tokyo, London, Singapore

☆ Japan trade data dims growth prospects as China leads decline in Asia exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japan posted its first monthly decline in exports in more than 2 years, as weaker demand in its biggest trading partners in China and the rest of Asia dimmed prospects for growth in the world's third-largest economy. Exports fell 0.3% in July from a year earlier for the first time since February 2021, according to provisional data released Thursday by Japan's Ministry of Finance. Exports to Asia plunged almost 37%, while those to China contracted 13.4% in an eighth consecutive monthly decline, underscoring the magnitude of the slowdown in the mainland. Japan's domestic demand showed no meaningful improvement, underscored by imports that slumped 13.5% in July. A surge in imports had propelled a provisional 6% growth in Japan in the second quarter, though economists are expecting global demand to weaken in the second half of the year.

Persons: Sayuri Shirai Organizations: Japan's Ministry of Finance, Exports, Keio University, CNBC Locations: Japan, China, Asia, U.S, Europe

☆ Japan's 'Mr.Yen' Sakakibara expects no yen intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Brigid Riley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japan's former currency czar Eisuke Sakakibara speaks at an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan February 6, 2017. Sakakibara gained a reputation as a market mover in the 1990s after devising several currency interventions during his time as vice finance minister, earning him the nickname "Mr Yen". Sakakibara takes Bank of Japan head Kazuo Ueda at his word that easy policy will be retained for the time being. Japan's Ministry of Finance intervened in October when the yen slipped to 149.70 against the dollar, and speculation grew that the currency could tumble further. While the chance that the yen weakens further against the dollar can't be completely dismissed, Sakakibara believes the "tide has changed" for dollar-yen.

Persons: Eisuke Sakakibara, Kim Kyung, Sakakibara, Mr Yen, Kazuo Ueda, Brigid Riley, Hiroko Hamada, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, U.S, U.S . Federal Reserve, of Finance, Bank of Japan, Fed, Bank, Japan, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Japan's

☆ Japan asks X to take down fake account of top FX diplomat as yen weakens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

'X' logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 30, 2023. In a rare English-language post on X, the ministry said "Please don’t follow the impersonation account and/or comment on the post", saying such an X account purportedly belonging to Kanda or his staff did not exist. loading"MOF is currently requesting that X (formerly Twitter) suspends the impersonation account. The fake account, which follows about 5,000 users and was followed by little more than 550, has made no remarks about the yen or financial markets. (This story has been refiled to clarify that the fake account had made five, not four, posts to date in paragraph 4)Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Masato Kanda, Kanda, Japan's, Kantaro Komiya, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Bank of Japan's, U.S ., BOJ, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, Kanda, Ukraine

☆ Investors are eyeing China's neighbors as the recovery from 'zero-Covid' slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesChina's lackluster economic recovery since emerging from strict "zero-Covid" lockdowns has caused weaker sentiment toward the country, prompting investors to look for alternative options — like its near neighbors. Higher targets for JapanForeign investors have undoubtedly been key in driving the Japanese market, maintaining the highest levels the Nikkei has seen since 1990. During the same period last year, foreign investors had sold a net 1.73 trillion yen approximately. Wall Street banks including Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale are among those that are optimistic on Japanese stocks, holding "overweight" positions. Upside for Korea tech stocksSouth Korea is another market closely watched as concerns over China's recovery linger.

Persons: Goldman, Andrew Tilton, Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett, India's, Goldman Sachs, Tilton, Morgan Stanley, ROE, Mike Wilson, we've, Price, Goldman's Tilton, Rhee Chang, Nomura, Chloe Andrieu, Pranjul Bhandari, Bhandari Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Asia, Pacific, Japan Foreign, Nikkei, Japan's Ministry of Finance, Societe Generale, Equity, U.S, UBS Global Wealth, U.S ., UBS, The Bank of, CNBC, Citi, AFP, Afp, Korea Financial Investment Association, South Korean, Fitch, Ben Advisors Locations: Macau, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Goldman Sachs, Berkshire, South, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wall, Korea, Asia, The Bank of Korea, Fuyang, China's, Anhui, Indonesia

Credit Suisse fell 8% in Europe and First Republic tumbled 30%. Banking troubles revived memories of the 2008 financial crisis, when dozens of institutions failed or were bailed out with billions of dollars of government and central bank money. Earlier this week, the franc plunged the most against the dollar in one day since 2015, when the Swiss central bank loosened its currency peg. Japan's Ministry of Finance, Financial Services Agency and Bank of Japan officials met on Friday evening to discuss financial markets. Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, told reporters after the trilateral meeting that the government, the central bank and the banking watchdog would coordinate to ensure the stability of the financial system.

☆ Relief rally on bank rescue lifts riskier currencies; dollar slips
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Aussie jumped 0.76% to $0.6708 in Asia trade on Friday, while the kiwi rose 0.69% to $0.6239. The move followed Credit Suisse's (CSGN.S) announcement earlier on Thursday that it would borrow up to $54 billion from the Swiss National Bank, after the central bank threw a financial lifeline to the embattled Swiss lender. Earlier in the week, the Swissie had plunged the most against the dollar in a day since 2015. It was last 0.56% higher at 133.01 per dollar, on track to rise more than 1% for the week. Reporting by Rae Wee; Editing by Bradley Perrett and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japanese investors turn net buyers of overseas bonds in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

According to data from Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japanese investors purchased a net 1.56 trillion yen ($11.79 billion)worth of foreign bonds in January, marking their biggest buying spree since September 2021. Prashant Newnaha, senior Asia-Pacific rates strategist at TD Securities, said Japanese buyers were likely buying foreign bonds on an unhedged basis. "Buying FX-hedged foreign bonds makes little sense given Japanese government bonds are a more attractive option," he said. The data showed that in the first week of February, Japanese investors bought 1.1 trillion yen worth of overseas bonds. Meanwhile, domestic investors also poured 1.67 trillion yen into foreign equities in January in a second straight month of net buying.

☆ Japan considers green transition bonds issuance for next fiscal year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japan plans to issue 1.6 trillion yen of such bonds in the fiscal year that ends April 2024, with an eye on those with maturity of 10 years and 20 years. "It will be like hand-to-mouth operations if we rely too much on short term government bonds," Saito said. The average duration of government bond issuance estimated for next fiscal year is eight years and one month, six months shorter that the current fiscal year. "We will appropriately conduct debt management, which centres on ascertaining market needs and allocate issuance by duration." Saito also said interest rates remain low but the current situation will not last indefinitely, as seen in spikes in overseas bond market yields.

☆ Gold will hit $3,000 an ounce and the dollar will surge 50% against the Japanese yen. Here are the 10 outrageous 2023 predictions from one European bank
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Gold surging to $3,000 an ounce is part of Saxo Bank's list of 10 Outrageous Predictions for 2023. The Danish bank's annual list also foresees Japan setting a floor of 200 yen to temporarily halt a surging US dollar. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. Saxo predicted 2023 as the year the market discovers that inflation will continue to burn hot for the foreseeable future, driving gold to $3,000 an ounce. "Under-owned gold rips higher on the sea-change reset in forward real interest rate implications of this new backdrop, it said.

Figures from Beijing on Monday showed that China's FX reserves unexpectedly rose in October, but there are unlikely to be similar surprises in Japan's numbers due early on Tuesday. They will almost certainly show a decline in official reserves, with investors hoping the data sheds light on exactly where Tokyo's record $42.8 billion yen-buying currency market intervention last month came from. A fairly large chunk of China's FX reserves are thought to be in euro-denominated assets, unlike Japan's, which are overwhelmingly invested in dollar assets. Around 10% of Japan's reserves are held as deposits parked with foreign official institutions and can be readily tapped for dollar-selling intervention. Japan's reserves fell a record $54 billion in September and in percentage terms, the 4.2% decline was the biggest since 1998.

Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rates - the rates at which banks in Hong Kong lend to each other - are soaring, especially at the short end of the curve. Rising credit risk could be related to Hong Kong banks' exposure to the crisis-hit Chinese property sector. It could also be related to the mounting downward pressure on the Chinese yuan. On the yen, Japan's Ministry of Finance confirmed that it spent $43 billion on FX market intervention over two days in October, which follows $20 billion spent on Sept. 22 trying to contain the currency's slide. In sum: $63 billion spent, in three days, with the respective dollar/yen trigger points apparently around 146.00, 152.00, and 149.50.

☆ Dollar rises amid suspected BOJ intervention; pound choppy as Sunak gets top job
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( John Mccrank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Yen overnight volatility surged to its highest since Sept. 21, the day before the BOJ stepped in to prop up the currency for the first time since 1998. At 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT), the dollar was up 0.089% at 111.93 against a basket of six peer currencies. Sterling was last down 0.16% at $1.12915, off an overnight high above $1.14. The euro was last up 0.18% at $0.98805, while China's offshore yuan plummeted to a new record low against the dollar of 7.3322.

☆ Dollar shrugs off suspected Japan intervention; pound eyes UK politics
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. Yen overnight volatility surged to its highest since Sept. 21, the day before the BOJ stepped in to prop up the currency for the first time since 1998. Sterling see-sawed on news former prime minister Boris Johnson had dropped out of the Tory leadership contest, and was last up 0.1% at $1.1319, off an overnight high above $1.14. Johnson said he had withdrawn from Monday's contest to replace Liz Truss, who was forced to resign as prime minister after launching a fiscal plan that unleashed turmoil in UK markets. Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has emerged as the clear frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister.

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Florence LoSINGAPORE, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Suspected Bank of Japan (BOJ) intervention gave only brief respite to the Japanese yen as the dollar stayed strong on Monday, while sterling wavered as former finance minister Rishi Sunak emerged as frontrunner to become Britain's prime minister. That triggered a rally of more than 7 yen for the Japanese currency to 144.50 per dollar. Damien Boey, chief macro strategist at Sydney-based investment firm Barrenjoey, said the Japanese yen was still not close to fair value. Sterling also see-sawed on news former prime minister Boris Johnson had dropped out of running for British prime minister and was last up 0.2% at $1.1320, trimming earlier agains.

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