USD/JPY consolidates around 147.00 at the start of busy US-data week
- USD/JPY oscillates in a tight range around 147.00 as both the US Dollar and the Yen are underperforming.
- Investors expect the Fed to cut interest rates in the September’s policy meeting.
- There is uncertainty over BoJ's plans of hiking interest rates again this year.
The USD/JPY pair trades in a tight range around 147.00 during the European trading session on Monday. The pair wobbles, even as the US Dollar (USD) sinks to its monthly low, suggesting that the Japanese Yen (JPY) is also weak.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the British Pound.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.24% | -0.26% | 0.09% | 0.02% | -0.13% | -0.23% | -0.03% | |
| EUR | 0.24% | -0.03% | 0.28% | 0.27% | 0.11% | 0.00% | 0.21% | |
| GBP | 0.26% | 0.03% | 0.20% | 0.30% | 0.14% | 0.04% | 0.29% | |
| JPY | -0.09% | -0.28% | -0.20% | -0.00% | -0.21% | -0.29% | -0.09% | |
| CAD | -0.02% | -0.27% | -0.30% | 0.00% | -0.14% | -0.26% | -0.01% | |
| AUD | 0.13% | -0.11% | -0.14% | 0.21% | 0.14% | -0.10% | 0.14% | |
| NZD | 0.23% | -0.01% | -0.04% | 0.29% | 0.26% | 0.10% | 0.25% | |
| CHF | 0.03% | -0.21% | -0.29% | 0.09% | 0.00% | -0.14% | -0.25% |
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).
At the time of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, slides to near 97.55.
Firm expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates in the policy meeting in September have contributed significantly to weakness in the US Dollar. A slew of Fed officials, including Chair Jerome Powell, has also argued that policy rates can be adjusted now as downside risks to labor market have increased.
Additionally, increasing doubts over the longevity of tariffs imposed by the United States (US) on its trading partners have also weighed on the US Dollar.
On Friday, the US appeals court called tariffs by President Donald Trump as “illegal” for being stemmed from invoking the emergency law. The event is seen as a challenge for sustainability of Trump’s tariff agenda.
Going forward, investors will focus on a slew of US labor market-related economic indicators, and ISM Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data for August releasing this week.
In Japan, investors doubt that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will raise interest rates for the second time this year as officials have warned of economic uncertainty despite the finalization of a trade agreement with the US.
BoJ’s Nakagawa said last week that "there remain many uncertainties”, despite the US and Japan reaching a trade agreement. He added that US tariff policies are weighing on Japan’s “business and household sentiment”.
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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