British Pound remains under pressure against Japanese Yen amid hawkish BoJ bets
- The British Pound trades lower against the Japanese Yen amid the likelihood of a BoJ 50bps interest rate hike.
- Investors will pay close attention to BoJ’s monetary policy statement and Governor Kazuo Ueda’s remarks.
- Next week, the British Pound will be influenced by the BoE interest rate decision.
The British Pound (GBP) trades 0.3% lower at around 207.80 against the Japanese Yen (JPY) during the European trading session on Wednesday. The cross is under pressure as the Japanese Yen (JPY) outperforms its peers, with market participants also pricing in expectations of a Bank of Japan (BoJ) 50 basis points (bps) hike at the policy meeting next week.
Japanese Yen Price This week
The table below shows the percentage change of Japanese Yen (JPY) against listed major currencies this week. Japanese Yen was the strongest against the New Zealand Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.26% | -0.29% | -1.67% | -0.46% | -0.33% | 0.56% | -0.13% | |
| EUR | 0.26% | -0.03% | -1.39% | -0.18% | -0.04% | 0.85% | 0.13% | |
| GBP | 0.29% | 0.03% | -1.48% | -0.16% | -0.02% | 0.86% | 0.17% | |
| JPY | 1.67% | 1.39% | 1.48% | 1.32% | 1.44% | 2.32% | 1.62% | |
| CAD | 0.46% | 0.18% | 0.16% | -1.32% | 0.18% | 1.02% | 0.33% | |
| AUD | 0.33% | 0.04% | 0.02% | -1.44% | -0.18% | 0.88% | 0.18% | |
| NZD | -0.56% | -0.85% | -0.86% | -2.32% | -1.02% | -0.88% | -0.69% | |
| CHF | 0.13% | -0.13% | -0.17% | -1.62% | -0.33% | -0.18% | 0.69% |
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 Japanese Yen from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent JPY (base)/USD (quote).
A note from Rabobank states that market chatter around the prospect that the BoJ “might even think about a 50bps hike” has also intensified.
BoJ’s bigger interest rate hike expectations emerged after board member Hajime Takata said last week that the central bank needs “a different response from conventional semi-annual rate hike pace”. “Need a more nimble approach with rate hikes,” Takata added.
Japan rate expectations build as markets eye BoJ shift
With financial markets completely pricing in a BoJ interest rate hike next week, the major highlight of the meeting is expected to be monetary policy guidance.
Analysts at HSBC point out that “overnight index swaps imply around 75bp of cumulative hikes by April 2027 and even assign meaningful odds of a hike at the 18 September meeting, which stands out as unusual.” HSBC argues that these repricings “suggest investors anticipate a change in how the BoJ responds to inflation and growth risks.”
Meanwhile, the British Pound (GBP) is expected to trade sideways amid a quiet United Kingdom (UK) economic calendar. Next week, the Bank of England (BoE) is scheduled to announce its interest rate decision.
Central banks FAQs
Central Banks have a key mandate which is making sure that there is price stability in a country or region. Economies are constantly facing inflation or deflation when prices for certain goods and services are fluctuating. Constant rising prices for the same goods means inflation, constant lowered prices for the same goods means deflation. It is the task of the central bank to keep the demand in line by tweaking its policy rate. For the biggest central banks like the US Federal Reserve (Fed), the European Central Bank (ECB) or the Bank of England (BoE), the mandate is to keep inflation close to 2%.
A central bank has one important tool at its disposal to get inflation higher or lower, and that is by tweaking its benchmark policy rate, commonly known as interest rate. On pre-communicated moments, the central bank will issue a statement with its policy rate and provide additional reasoning on why it is either remaining or changing (cutting or hiking) it. Local banks will adjust their savings and lending rates accordingly, which in turn will make it either harder or easier for people to earn on their savings or for companies to take out loans and make investments in their businesses. When the central bank hikes interest rates substantially, this is called monetary tightening. When it is cutting its benchmark rate, it is called monetary easing.
A central bank is often politically independent. Members of the central bank policy board are passing through a series of panels and hearings before being appointed to a policy board seat. Each member in that board often has a certain conviction on how the central bank should control inflation and the subsequent monetary policy. Members that want a very loose monetary policy, with low rates and cheap lending, to boost the economy substantially while being content to see inflation slightly above 2%, are called ‘doves’. Members that rather want to see higher rates to reward savings and want to keep a lit on inflation at all time are called ‘hawks’ and will not rest until inflation is at or just below 2%.
Normally, there is a chairman or president who leads each meeting, needs to create a consensus between the hawks or doves and has his or her final say when it would come down to a vote split to avoid a 50-50 tie on whether the current policy should be adjusted. The chairman will deliver speeches which often can be followed live, where the current monetary stance and outlook is being communicated. A central bank will try to push forward its monetary policy without triggering violent swings in rates, equities, or its currency. All members of the central bank will channel their stance toward the markets in advance of a policy meeting event. A few days before a policy meeting takes place until the new policy has been communicated, members are forbidden to talk publicly. This is called the blackout period.
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