Japanese Yen flat lines amid persistent tensions in the Middle East
- USD/JPY holds steady around 159.60 in Friday’s early Asian session.
- Persistent tensions in the Middle East underpin the US Dollar, but US tariff threats might cap its upside.
- BoJ authorities warned that they may adjust policy if Yen weakness persists.
The USD/JPY pair trades on a flat note near 159.60 during the Asian trading hours on Friday. Trading volumes are likely to be thin due to the Good Friday holiday. All eyes will be on the US March Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report, which will be published later on Friday.
Heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East drive up oil prices and lift the US Dollar (USD) against the Japanese Yen (JPY). US President Donald Trump pressures Iran to make a deal after a military strike destroys a bridge near Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated that Washington’s recent strikes on civilian infrastructure will not force the country to back down, adding that such actions “convey the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray.”
On the other hand, chaos around U.S. tariff policy might cap the upside for the Greenback. The Trump administration plans to slap up to 100% on certain imported medicines from companies that don't reach deals with his administration in the coming months, per Bloomberg. A White House statement said that the new levy applies to patented drugs made in countries that lack tariff deals with the US by companies that don’t have most-favored-nation-pricing agreements with the administration.
Fears that Japanese authorities would step in to support the domestic currency could support the JPY and act as a headwind for the pair. Japan's top currency diplomat, Atsushi Mimura, said on Monday that officials may need to take "decisive" steps if speculative moves persist in the currency market.
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.