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December 31, 2024
 

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Ruth Carson
In the run-up to the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, the yen is again the top performer during periods of extreme market stress, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 29, 2024
Embattled yen still popular haven amid U.S. election uncertainty
Japan’s record ¥3.02 trillion current-account surplus, deep yen liquidity and relatively low inflation help make the yen attractive as a store of value.
Speculative investors flipped to a net long position on the yen just before Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the nation wasn’t ready for further interest rate hikes, data shows.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 8, 2024
Hedge funds warming to yen caught out by biggest drop in 15 years
Many bought the yen just before cautious comments by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on rate hikes and strong U.S. nonfarm payrolls data.
Then yen strengthened on Monday beyond ¥140 per dollar ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting this week that is widely expected to see officials cut interest rates.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 16, 2024
Yen strengthens beyond ¥140 per dollar for first time since 2023
The currency appreciated as much as 0.6% versus the dollar to ¥139.96 on Monday, its strongest level since July last year.
U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 26, 2024
Powell’s pivot leaves traders debating size and path of rate cuts
Bond traders are now focusing in on bets over the size of the first U.S. interest rate reduction and the future path of easing.
Some investors are still betting on more interest rate hikes in Japan in the coming months.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 20, 2024
Big-name investors still betting on further BOJ rate hikes
Major asset managers are doubling down on their short positions in Japanese government bonds based on the prospect of further hikes.
JPMorgan Asset has wagers that profit when the yield gap between shorter and longer-term Japanese bonds narrows, and is among those mapping out the BOJ’s next policy step after a wild week of trading.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 10, 2024
JPMorgan Asset gameplans for risk BOJ hikes are done this year
"It’s pretty clear that the Bank of Japan is not going to move until markets settle down,” said the head of global rates at the firm.
As investors look for opportunities in the new environment created by the Bank of Japan and the resulting market turmoil, there is broad consensus that they will have to reevaluate what they thought they knew about the country.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 7, 2024
Japan morphs into the center of worry for global investors
In less than a week, Japan has completely upended the world’s expectations for its markets and economy.
Many market followers believe the pillars that had underpinned gains for years — a series of key assumptions that investors across the world were banking on — have been shaken.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2024
$6.4 trillion stock wipeout has traders fearing ‘great unwind’ is just starting
Many market followers believe the pillars that had underpinned gains for years have been shaken.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2024
BOJ probes website crash that blocked traders before decision
It was not immediately clear whether the website became available for everyone at the same time or if some market participants had access before others.
Some investors are warning that a yen rally is fragile, as was on show this week when the yen rapidly retraced an advance after Thursday’s stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth figures.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 27, 2024
‘Crazy’ yen rally is at risk of shattering as soon as Wednesday
Swaps markets suggest a roughly 45% chance of the Bank of Japan hiking rates by 15 basis points at the conclusion of its July 31 policy meeting.
Leveraged funds reduced net short positions on the yen the most since March 2011 during the week to July 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024
Hedge funds slash short yen bets by most in more than a decade
Hedge funds pared bets against the yen in spectacular fashion after a suspected double-whammy market intervention from Japanese authorities.
Traders say a slump of the yen as far as ¥170 per dollar is possible despite looming intervention risks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2024
Forget ¥160 — traders see currency falling as far as ¥170 against dollar
The yen is at risk of sliding to levels last seen in 1986, with traders unfazed by the specter of government intervention.
The rate of the U.S. dollar against the yen is displayed on an electronic stock board outside a securities firm in Tokyo earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 28, 2024
Popularity of yen 'carry trade' may dent impact of BOJ rate rises
The weakening yen and strengthening greenback are increasing the attractiveness of the strategy by boosting its total return.
Suspected intervention to drag the yen off a 34-year low against the dollar is already seen as unlikely to have a lasting effect if Japan continues alone.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2024
Yen’s fragility raises specter of a new currency war in Asia
A destabilizing slump in the yen could be the trigger that forces Japan’s neighbors to take extreme action.
The dollar's resurgence has come on the back of a slew of signs that the U.S. economy avoided the slowdown many anticipated.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. dollar’s extended reign delivers stark wake-up call to markets
Global investors are talking about "U.S. exceptionalism” after a predicted slowdown to the nation's economy didn't transpire.
Yen traders are bracing for 160 to the dollar or even further declines.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 16, 2024
Yen traders brace for 160 level even as intervention risks rise
The yen weakened 1% last week alone as fears of higher-for-longer U.S. borrowing costs spurred a stampede to the dollar.
Investors will be heaping ever more scrutiny on Japanese assets, with negative rates potentially relegated to history.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 15, 2024
BlackRock and Man Group reveal big Japan bets before BOJ decision
Snap up more Japanese stocks and keep buying the yen — these are some of the most popular calls from big-name money managers.
The risks are particularly evident in Asia, home to some of the world’s worst-performing major currencies against the greenback.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 19, 2024
Dollar dominance is triggering intervention fears across markets
The greenback's recent spike is a reality check to investors betting on dollar weakness and for the authorities hoping for a respite.
Pacific Investment Management headquarters in Newport Beach, California. The bond giant says it has started building a long yen position.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023
Pimco is buying yen to prepare for tighter BOJ monetary policy
The bond giant started building a long yen position when Japan’s currency weakened past ¥140 per dollar a few months ago.
Veteran Japanese investors are split over whether to put their money into Chinese bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 27, 2023
Friends who help manage $640 billion clash on China bonds
While they’ve been friends for at least a decade, their take on trading China bonds couldn’t be more diametrically opposed.
Ukraine risks losing all Russian land it seized within months, U.S. says
Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffins of three comrades killed in recent fighting in eastern Ukraine during their funeral in the western city of Lviv on Dec. 20.
Japanese Princess Kako turns 30
As an adult member of the Imperial Family, Princess Kako has performed various official duties at home and abroad this year.
South Korea's worst plane crash in decades leaves 179 dead
Rescue personnel are seen near the tail section of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft after the plane crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Sunday.
U.S. military coordination unit eyed in central Tokyo
A Self-Defense Forces soldier from a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile unit takes part in a drill at Yokota Air Base in Fussa, western Tokyo, in August 2017.
Shohei Ohtani ends blockbuster year with baby announcement
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, attend a Lakers game in Los Angeles on Dec. 8.
Japan’s weather in 2024: Record temperatures hurt people’s health and wallets
People cover themselves with umbrellas during a hot summer day in Tokyo's Ginza district in August. Temperatures shot up in early July, even before the official end of the rainy season, and the high temperatures persisted well into the fall.
How Hokkaido quietly became a culinary treasure trove in 2024
The central Hokkaido city of Asahikawa made headlines this year when one of its suburbs was named as the best place to live in Japan — a ranking earned in part due to the community's many outstanding restaurants and cafes.
Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.
Shohei Ohtani ends blockbuster year with baby announcement
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, attend a Lakers game in Los Angeles on Dec. 8.
Flu cases surge above ‘warning’ levels in much of Japan
Authorities are calling for utmost vigilance as Japan heads into the New Year holiday season, when many people plan getaways.

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