GBP/JPY revisits 200.00 as Japanese Yen underperforms across the board
- GBP/JPY climbs to near 200.00 amid weakness in the Japanese Yen.
- Japan’s Akazawa is yet to schedule meeting on investment in the US with Washington.
- BoJ Himino expressed support for tightening the monetary policy further.
The GBP/JPY pair reclaims the psychological level of 200.00 during the Asian trading session on Tuesday. The pair strengthens as the Japanese Yen (JPY) underperforms across the board amid growing uncertainty about whether the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will hike interest rates again this year.
Japanese Yen Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Japanese Yen (JPY) against listed major currencies today. Japanese Yen was the weakest against the US Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.16% | 0.16% | 0.47% | 0.04% | 0.22% | 0.31% | 0.17% | |
| EUR | -0.16% | -0.01% | 0.31% | -0.12% | 0.10% | 0.15% | 0.00% | |
| GBP | -0.16% | 0.00% | 0.32% | -0.11% | 0.09% | 0.16% | 0.02% | |
| JPY | -0.47% | -0.31% | -0.32% | -0.43% | -0.26% | -0.15% | -0.26% | |
| CAD | -0.04% | 0.12% | 0.11% | 0.43% | 0.15% | 0.30% | 0.13% | |
| AUD | -0.22% | -0.10% | -0.09% | 0.26% | -0.15% | 0.07% | -0.07% | |
| NZD | -0.31% | -0.15% | -0.16% | 0.15% | -0.30% | -0.07% | -0.14% | |
| CHF | -0.17% | -0.01% | -0.02% | 0.26% | -0.13% | 0.07% | 0.14% |
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).
Growing domestic economic concerns are being a major drag on BoJ hawkish expectations. Last week, BoJ’s Junko Nakagawa said 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”.
Meanwhile, BoJ Deputy Governor Himino Ryozo argued in favor of raising interest rates earlier in the day, citing that inflation has remained well above central bank’s target. “Appropriate to continue raising interest rates in accordance to improvements in economy prices,” Himino said.
Going forward, the next major trigger for the Japanese Yen will be United States (US)-Japan meeting on trade discussions. However, Japan trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa has yet not set a new schedule of meeting with Washington. Though he has clarified that there is “no gap in understanding with us on trade deal”.
Last week, Japan’s Akazawa cancelled his scheduled visit to Washington, which aimed to reveal financial details of Tokyo's $550 billion investment pledge in the US in exchange for reduced tariffs.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the Pound Sterling (GBP) trades firmly in a light economic calendar week. The next major trigger for the British currency will be market expectations over the Bank of England’s monetary policy outcome in its meeting on September 18. Traders expect the BoE to hold interest rates steady as risks to inflation are bended on the upside.
Bank of Japan FAQs
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is the Japanese central bank, which sets monetary policy in the country. Its mandate is to issue banknotes and carry out currency and monetary control to ensure price stability, which means an inflation target of around 2%.
The Bank of Japan embarked in an ultra-loose monetary policy in 2013 in order to stimulate the economy and fuel inflation amid a low-inflationary environment. The bank’s policy is based on Quantitative and Qualitative Easing (QQE), or printing notes to buy assets such as government or corporate bonds to provide liquidity. In 2016, the bank doubled down on its strategy and further loosened policy by first introducing negative interest rates and then directly controlling the yield of its 10-year government bonds. In March 2024, the BoJ lifted interest rates, effectively retreating from the ultra-loose monetary policy stance.
The Bank’s massive stimulus caused the Yen to depreciate against its main currency peers. This process exacerbated in 2022 and 2023 due to an increasing policy divergence between the Bank of Japan and other main central banks, which opted to increase interest rates sharply to fight decades-high levels of inflation. The BoJ’s policy led to a widening differential with other currencies, dragging down the value of the Yen. This trend partly reversed in 2024, when the BoJ decided to abandon its ultra-loose policy stance.
A weaker Yen and the spike in global energy prices led to an increase in Japanese inflation, which exceeded the BoJ’s 2% target. The prospect of rising salaries in the country – a key element fuelling inflation – also contributed to the move.
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