Yen Jumps Past 156 per Dollar as BOJ Hike Bets Offset Doubts Over New Intervention
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 3
Yen Jumps Past 156 per Dollar as BOJ Hike Bets Offset Doubts Over New Intervention
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 3
Summary
The yen rose more than 1% to as strong as 156.15 per dollar on Thursday, its firmest level since Aug. 3, after another sharp move a day earlier.
BOJ tightening expectations drove much of the rally: Governor Kazuo Ueda kept the door open to higher rates, board member Hajime Takata urged nimble hikes, and markets are increasingly pricing a Sept. 18 increase.
Tokyo also kept intervention risk alive after the yen briefly crossed 160 this week, with Vice Finance Minister Atsushi Mimura saying authorities remain on heightened alert even as analysts questioned whether Wednesday or Thursday involved actual market action.
Japan has already spent a record 15.4 trillion yen between July 30 and Aug. 26 to support the currency, with the U.S. confirming it joined late-July yen buying.
The stakes extend beyond FX markets: officials in Tokyo and Washington fear disorderly yen moves could unsettle global markets and pressure Japanese investors' roughly $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury holdings.