Tag - forex

 
 

FOREX

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a report released Thursday that it has placed Japan, which runs a large trade surplus with the United States, back on its monitoring list over currency practices.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 21, 2024
U.S. adds Japan to currency watchlist amid struggles with weak yen
Japan spent a record ¥9.8 trillion ($62 billion) earlier this year to prop up the yen.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2024
BOJ’s minutes show debate on rate hikes with close eyes on yen
The minutes signal the potential for a BOJ rate hike as early as July even as market speculation for such a move has cooled somewhat.
The Bank of Japan is expected to discuss cutting bond purchases at a two-day policy meeting ending Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 11, 2024
BOJ expected to weigh bond buying cuts as rate hike timing nears
A paring back of bond purchases would mark the BOJ’s first clear step toward quantitative tightening after pivoting away from its massive stimulus program in March.
Despite the Sino-American trade war, China's export competitiveness has strengthened, with its share of global exports increasing in 2023 and its trade surplus reaching $823 billion.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2024
Why the U.S. can’t win the trade war with China — and shouldn’t try
There is no evidence that China is actively targeting the exchange rate, and even the U.S. does not label China as a currency manipulator.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has officially acknowledged that the government had intervened in the market to prop up the yen.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 4, 2024
Japan's yen intervention was effective to an extent, finance minister says
Figures disclosed by the Finance Ministry on Friday indicated that it spent ¥9.8 trillion combined to prop up the yen on April 29 and May 1, a record amount.
The draft of this year's long-term economic policy road map says consumption is stalling even though Japan's economy is continuing to recover moderately.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2024
Draft economic policy road map warns of weak yen's impact on households
The reference to the weak yen's impact will likely keep the Bank of Japan under pressure to raise interest rates or slow its huge bond buying.
A monitor showing the Nikkei 225 index and the yen exchange rate in Tokyo. The yen is expected to remain under pressure given the yawning gap between interest rates in Japan and the U.S.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 1, 2024
Japan spent record ¥9.8 trillion to prop up yen in past month
The record spending on intervention shows the government’s resolve to push back against speculators betting against the yen.
Seiji Adachi, member of the policy board at the Bank of Japan
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2024
BOJ policymaker hints of rate hike if yen fall has big impact on inflation
While short-term currency moves alone would not trigger a policy shift, the central bank could raise interest rates if excessive yen falls persist.
A euro symbol sculpture at the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Some investors are betting on the chance that European currencies will gain further against the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 29, 2024
Yen nears record low versus euro on carry and interest rate outlook
The Japanese currency has weakened 1.5% against the euro this month and is approaching its previous record low of ¥171.56 reached on April 29.
With the recent focus on the yen and individual investing, the phrase "Mrs. Watanabe" — one of the most common pieces of jargon in Japanese financial circles — has seen a resurgence.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2024
My search for the original 'Mrs. Watanabe'
Yen retail traders are back in the spotlight. But where did the phrase for the archetypal Japanese housewife investor come from?
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.
Japan's top currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, poses for a photograph during an interview at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo in  January 2022.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 25, 2024
Japan issues fresh warning on yen drops and signals readiness to intervene
The finance minister also said he was in frequent contact with overseas counterparts, particularly in the U.S., on issues including financial markets.
Japan swung to a trade deficit of ¥462.5 billion in April due to higher crude oil prices and a weak yen.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2024
Japan trade deficit shows weak yen is weighing on economy
The trade balance in April registered a ¥462.5 billion deficit, flipping from a ¥387 billion surplus.
A Bank of Japan survey on firms nationwide showed that many of them do not expect to be able to hire enough workers if they keep wage growth low, and see an economy where wages and inflation rise in tandem as more favorable.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024
Japan's manufacturers want BOJ to keep yen stable, survey shows
The survey on roughly 2,500 firms underscores the importance they place on yen moves in assessing the impact of monetary policy.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda has talked about the potential need for a monetary policy response given foreign exchange rates’ impact on the economy. Last month, the yen touched its weakest level in 34 years, ¥160 per dollar, before rebounding.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2024
BOJ Gov. Ueda finally toughens message on the weak yen
Though most of the factors behind the flailing currency lie outside of Japan, the central bank and Finance Ministry have some agency in determining events. They should use it.
A man rides a bicycle past an electronic screen displaying the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies in Tokyo earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 18, 2024
Short yen wagers linger due to gap between U.S.-Japan rate paths
The gulf between Japan’s ultralow interest rate and U.S. rates stuck at a two-decade high is keeping the pressure on the yen.
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 / Companies
May 17, 2024
Majority of Japanese firms say weak yen hurts profits: survey
About half of surveyed companies said a yen trading around ¥110 to ¥120 to the dollar would be appropriate.
Investing in Japanese stocks becomes harder if the yen continues to weaken, head of Japan active investments at BlackRock warns.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2024
BlackRock warns weak yen deters foreigners from Japan stocks
The Nikkei 225 has declined more than 6% amid concerns the currency is becoming a liability for domestic consumer spending and import costs.
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.
Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024
Japan’s reserves tally likely too early to reflect intervention
Officials continue to conceal whether they have taken action, forcing investors to make educated guesses about the market moves.

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Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan