Japanese Yen gains traction on US-Iran peace progress
- USD/JPY loses ground to near 158.85 in Monday’s Asian session.
- US inches toward Iran peace deal.
- Markets expect a June BoJ rate hike despite softer-than-expected Japan CPI inflation data.
The USD/JPY pair edges lower to around 158.85, snapping the two-day winning streak during the Asian trading hours on Monday. The US Dollar (USD) weakens against the Japanese Yen (JPY) amid signs of a US-Iran deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington and Iran had "largely negotiated" a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, per Reuters.
"Markets have become conditioned to be incredibly patient on a tangible breakthrough, but the base case of a deal remains firm, with the weekend news providing further conviction, even if the timing remains unclear," said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone Group Ltd in Melbourne.
A lack of clarity over when the critical waterway would open kept enthusiasm in check. Trump stated that the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz “will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed."
Japan’s National Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 1.4% YoY in April, compared to 1.5% in March. Meanwhile, core CPI inflation eased to a four-year low of 1.4% YoY during the same period. The data is among the factors the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will scrutinize at June's policy meeting, where the board is widely expected to raise its short-term policy rate to 1.0% from 0.75%.
Analysts see inflation accelerating in the coming months, as elevated oil costs and supply disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict prompt firms to raise prices for a broad range of products.
Japanese Yen FAQs
The Japanese Yen (JPY) is one of the world’s most traded currencies. Its value is broadly determined by the performance of the Japanese economy, but more specifically by the Bank of Japan’s policy, the differential between Japanese and US bond yields, or risk sentiment among traders, among other factors.
One of the Bank of Japan’s mandates is currency control, so its moves are key for the Yen. The BoJ has directly intervened in currency markets sometimes, generally to lower the value of the Yen, although it refrains from doing it often due to political concerns of its main trading partners. The BoJ ultra-loose monetary policy between 2013 and 2024 caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks. More recently, the gradually unwinding of this ultra-loose policy has given some support to the Yen.
Over the last decade, the BoJ’s stance of sticking to ultra-loose monetary policy has led to a widening policy divergence with other central banks, particularly with the US Federal Reserve. This supported a widening of the differential between the 10-year US and Japanese bonds, which favored the US Dollar against the Japanese Yen. The BoJ decision in 2024 to gradually abandon the ultra-loose policy, coupled with interest-rate cuts in other major central banks, is narrowing this differential.
The Japanese Yen is often seen as a safe-haven investment. This means that in times of market stress, investors are more likely to put their money in the Japanese currency due to its supposed reliability and stability. Turbulent times are likely to strengthen the Yen’s value against other currencies seen as more risky to invest in.
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