911±¬ÁÏÍø

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January 22, 2025
 

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Masaki Kondo
A visitor holds a ?1,000 banknote to offer a prayer on the first business day of the year at the Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo on Monday. The yen has declined against the dollar for four straight years amid a wide gap between interest rates in Japan and the United States.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 10, 2025
Yen intervention risk creeps higher as U.S. jobs report approaches
The yen is within reach of ?160 per dollar, a breach of which would increase concern about the weak currency¡¯s impact on business and consumers.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda said in July that the central bank¡¯s holdings would decrease by 7% to 8% in about two years¡¯ time, but they are set to stay at higher-than-desirable levels in the long-term.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 23, 2024
911±¬ÁÏÍø bond supply set to reach decade high as BOJ bond purchases slow
The BOJ¡¯s plan to almost halve bond purchases comes as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba plans additional spending in an extra budget.
The Bank of Japan regularly sells government bonds with repurchase agreements to boost liquidity.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 4, 2024
BOJ sells 10-year cash bonds to ease shortage tied to futures
The BOJ owned ?8.03?trillion of the bonds due in March 2032 as of Nov. 29, down from ?8.23?trillion on Nov. 20.
The yen carry trade is expected to ramp up next year, driven by wide gaps in interest rates, higher government borrowing in the U.S. and low volatility in currency markets, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 3, 2024
Yen carry trade that rattled markets shows signs of a comeback
911±¬ÁÏÍø retail investors as well as leveraged funds and asset managers outside the country are estimated to have boosted bearish wagers on the yen in November.
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 19, 2024
Two of America¡¯s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
911±¬ÁÏÍø investors sold a record $61.9 billion of the securities in the three months ended Sept. 30.
In the run-up to the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, the yen is again the top performer during periods of extreme market stress, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 29, 2024
Embattled yen still popular haven amid U.S. election uncertainty
Japan¡¯s record ?3.02 trillion current-account surplus, deep yen liquidity and relatively low inflation help make the yen attractive as a store of value.
Three-month basis swaps for dollar-yen dropped to negative 53.5 basis points on Thursday, a level not seen since November 2023.
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2024
Boom in samurai bond issuance drives up yen swap costs
Three-month basis swaps for dollar-yen dropped to negative 53.5 basis points on Thursday, a level not seen since November 2023.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 11, 2024
BOJ¡¯s bond buying cuts carve out opening for investors
Net purchases by the central bank have fallen below zero as redemptions surpassed buying.
Some investors are warning that a yen rally is fragile, as was on show this week when the yen rapidly retraced an advance after Thursday¡¯s stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth figures.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 27, 2024
¡®Crazy¡¯ yen rally is at risk of shattering as soon as Wednesday
Swaps markets suggest a roughly 45% chance of the Bank of Japan hiking rates by 15 basis points at the conclusion of its July 31 policy meeting.
The yen strengthened Wednesday to break the psychological threshold of ?155 against the dollar, with technical indicators suggesting the momentum can continue.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 24, 2024
Yen extends advance as unwinding of global carry trades ramps up
Investors are betting on more rate hikes in Japan and the chance of further intervention by authorities to prop up the 911±¬ÁÏÍø currency.
Leveraged funds reduced net short positions on the yen the most since March 2011 during the week to July 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024
Hedge funds slash short yen bets by most in more than a decade
Hedge funds pared bets against the yen in spectacular fashion after a suspected double-whammy market intervention from 911±¬ÁÏÍø authorities.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Many analysts say the central bank would want to avoid rushing policy moves as policymakers probably don¡¯t want to be seen as being forced to act to boost the currency.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 12, 2024
Yen jump eases pressure on BOJ to tighten its policy, analysts say
If the Bank of Japan raised interest rates and announced fewer bond purchases, it could risk being seen as only driven by the volatile yen.
The Government Pension Investment Fund's holdings of government bonds increased 25% to ?50.3 trillion in fiscal year ended in March.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 11, 2024
Japan¡¯s public pension fund steps up as BOJ mulls bond cuts
The BOJ is expected to release a plan to substantially reduce its debt buying at the next policy decision later this month.
Traditional boat parties on the Sumida River in Tokyo are popular for informal gatherings among professionals that deal in 911±¬ÁÏÍø government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2024
Tokyo¡¯s exclusive circle of government bond traders in demand amid policy shift
The world¡¯s top hedge funds are shaking up the closed community that was, for a time, a sleepy backwater of global finance.
The supply of super-long 911±¬ÁÏÍø debt is projected to total almost ?30 trillion in the fiscal year that started on April 1.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 2, 2024
Big risks hound Japan¡¯s longest bonds despite move to cut supply
911±¬ÁÏÍø government appears to be striving to calm down a market that¡¯s wracked by rising yields.
The yen fell as much as 0.4% to ?160.39 per dollar on Wednesday, extending losses this year to around 12%.
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2024
Yen¡¯s tumble to weakest since 1986 boosts risk of intervention
The 911±¬ÁÏÍø currency fell as much as 0.4% to ?160.39 per dollar on Wednesday, extending losses this year to around 12%.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 10, 2024
Investors brace for volatility as BOJ seeks to cut bond buying
The Bank of Japan bought only ?4.5 trillion of government bonds last month, the lowest amount since March 2013.
The rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar is displayed in the trading room at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.com in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 25, 2024
Yen inches closer to intervention point as BOJ meeting starts
For the first time in over 30 years, the yen weakened beyond ?155 per dollar, sending traders on the alert for possible intervention.
The possibility of a deepening conflict between Israel and Iran suggests higher energy prices for energy import-dependent Japan, meaning more downward pressure for the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 19, 2024
Oil poses more risks for yen as Japan depends on energy imports
Crude oil futures jumped on Friday following reports that Israel launched a missile strike on Iran.
The Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance headquarters in Tokyo. Japan's life insurers will lay out their investment plans for the new fiscal year starting this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2024
Investment plans for Japan¡¯s insurers will likely favor JGBs
Companies will lay out their plans for the fiscal year starting this month.
Trump pledges to save U.S. from 'decline,' vowing new 'golden age'
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Cedar pollen is already in the air in Tokyo
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Fuji TV President Koichi Minato speaks at a news conference on Friday in Tokyo.
BOJ likely to raise rates this week in absence of immediate Trump tariffs
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is still signaling caution ahead of the central bank's January meeting.
Survey finds 80% of people want to take leftover restaurant food home
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'America first' returns as Trump ditches focus on allies and rules-based order
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Japan looks to learn from the past with bid to build Australian warships
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Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
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