USD/JPY extends winning streak on USD’s continued outperformance
- USD/JPY extends its rally to near 156.20 as the US Dollar continues to outperform.
- Investors expect that the Fed will not cut interest rates in the March and April meetings.
- US JOLTS Job Openings data for December is seen at 7.2 million.
The USD/JPY extends its winning streak for the fifth trading day on Thursday, trades 0.26% higher to near 156.20. The pair advances further due to continued outperformance from the US Dollar (USD).
During the day, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, posts a fresh weekly high at 97.90.
US Dollar Price Last 7 Days
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies last 7 days. US Dollar was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 1.34% | 1.57% | 2.52% | 0.99% | 0.73% | 1.00% | 1.13% | |
| EUR | -1.34% | 0.23% | 1.19% | -0.35% | -0.61% | -0.33% | -0.21% | |
| GBP | -1.57% | -0.23% | 0.92% | -0.58% | -0.83% | -0.56% | -0.43% | |
| JPY | -2.52% | -1.19% | -0.92% | -1.51% | -1.75% | -1.51% | -1.37% | |
| CAD | -0.99% | 0.35% | 0.58% | 1.51% | -0.24% | 0.02% | 0.14% | |
| AUD | -0.73% | 0.61% | 0.83% | 1.75% | 0.24% | 0.27% | 0.40% | |
| NZD | -1.00% | 0.33% | 0.56% | 1.51% | -0.02% | -0.27% | 0.13% | |
| CHF | -1.13% | 0.21% | 0.43% | 1.37% | -0.14% | -0.40% | -0.13% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
The US Dollar started rallying from Friday after United States (US) President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh as the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) next Chairman.
Meanwhile, firm speculation that the Fed will leave interest rates at their current levels in upcoming policy meetings in March and April is also supporting the US Dollar. Fed dovish expectations have remained choked as inflationary pressures have remained above the 2% target for a longer period.
In Thursday’s session, investors will focus on the US JOLTS Job Openings data for December, which will be published at 15:00 GMT. US employers are expected to have posted 7.2 million fresh jobs, higher than the previous reading of 7.146 million.
On the Tokyo front, the Japanese Yen (JPY) is broadly underperforming on expectations that Japan’s Prime Minister (PM) Sanae Takaichi will unveil a big spending budget after the elections of parliament’s lower house on February 8.
US Dollar FAQs
The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.
The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.
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