empty
01.12.2022 08:53 AM
USD/JPY: that's it, no movie!

This image is no longer relevant

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's dovish speech pulled down the dollar. Yesterday, the U.S. currency experienced a resounding sell-off on all fronts, but saw the biggest loss against the yen.

A crushing blow from Powell

At the middle of the week, Powell spoke about the economic outlook, inflation and US employment at the Brookings Institution.

It was Powell's first public speech since the November FOMC meeting, so traders were looking forward to his comments on the central bank's future course.

The market has been in a state of strong uncertainty. Softer inflation provoked speculations about a possible slowdown of tightening in the US, and recent hawkish comments made by Fed representatives have cast doubts on this.

Until yesterday, dollar bulls had illusions about further sharp rate hikes in the US. However, Powell just shattered their hopes: the central bank intends to slow down.

He said it makes sense to 'moderate' the pace at this stage to balance risks. He also hinted that the Fed might take less aggressive steps at its next meeting.

After Powell's dovish rhetoric, the likelihood of a 50 bps rate hike in December rose from 69.9% to more than 90%.

The sharp weakening of hawkish market expectations took a heavy toll on the dollar. It interrupted its 3-day climb and went into free-fall.

Yesterday, the DXY index posted its biggest daily loss of the week, falling more than 1% from its major peers.

Goodbye USD/JPY

The U.S. currency showed the worst dynamics on Wednesday against the yen. The USD/JPY plummeted 1.2%, testing the 3-month low at 136.50 in one moment.

This image is no longer relevant

A steep peak in yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries contributed to the yen's sharp growth. The index fell to a one-month low of 3.6% after Powell's comments.

"The dollar is losing more altitude as the market embraces a less hawkish than feared message from the Chair," said Rodrigo Catril, strategist at National Australia Bank Ltd. in Sydney. The "big decline in 10-year Treasury yields sees the yen at the top of the leaderboard."

Recall that this year the Japanese currency suffered the most from the aggressive Fed rate, and the Bank of Japan's dovish policy adds more pressure on it.

The BOJ is the only major central bank that has never raised interest rates this year.

The hope that appeared last month that the Fed might soon slow down the pace of tightening helped the yen recover from its multi-year lows.

The JPY showed the best uptrend against the dollar in November. It strengthened by more than 7%. This is the biggest monthly gain for the JPY in 14 years.

Now, when Powell actually gave the signal to start a slowdown in interest rates in the U.S., many analysts have revised their forecasts for the pair - downward.

According to experts, the asset has already exhausted its bullish potential and is unlikely to return to spectacular and confident growth in the near future.

In the short term, the major will move mainly downwards, still weighed down by Powell's dovish statement.

Also, US economic data may become a headwind for the dollar-yen pair. If the market sees another symptom of the approaching recession, it will finally convince traders that the US central bank will hit the brakes this month.

Analysts predict this is likely to happen. The ISM manufacturing activity index for November will be released today. Economists are predicting that the index will fall from 50.2 to 49.8.

Another headwind for the dollar will be the return of risk sentiment to the market due to the easing of anti-Covid measures in China. This should also favor USD/JPY bears.

Аlena Ivannitskaya,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

US Market News Digest for April 11

After Wednesday's explosive rally triggered by President Donald Trump's announcement of a 90-day tariff pause, US markets on Thursday decided the party was premature. Major indices tumbled: the Dow dropped

Natalia Andreeva 15:28 2025-04-11 UTC+2

Rollercoaster: S&P 500 down 3%, gold hits all-time highs

US stocks fall after Wednesday's events, S&P 500 down 3% European and Asian stocks close higher after Trump suspends most tariffs Bond market rally stabilizes, gold prices hit all-time highs

Thomas Frank 09:44 2025-04-11 UTC+2

Bitcoin struggles to find support as tariff turmoil roils global markets

The flagship cryptocurrency remains in a fragmented state, unable to establish a firm footing. Bitcoin is experiencing significant volatility and posted losses this week. Nevertheless, experts remain optimistic, anticipating

Larisa Kolesnikova 14:38 2025-04-10 UTC+2

US Market News Digest for April 10

The S&P 500 index notched one of its biggest one-day gains in recent months. The upward move slowed near 5,516, but a break above key resistance at 5,669.50 could open

Irina Maksimova 12:58 2025-04-10 UTC+2

Why are stocks rising as yuan sags and U.S. futures slip?

The financial world breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday as stock markets surged higher and the chaotic bond selloff finally slowed down. The reason was a surprise initiative

Thomas Frank 10:17 2025-04-10 UTC+2

US Market News Digest for April 9

US stock indices closed lower after the White House announced a new wave of tariffs on Chinese goods. The rate could rise to 104%, a direct hit on imports

Irina Maksimova 12:33 2025-04-09 UTC+2

Domino effect: US tariffs slam markets, investors dump dollar, bonds

Trump's China tariffs spark recession fears US Treasuries and dollar hit by sell-off, yields soar European stocks fall as US retaliatory tariffs take effect World markets face crisis-era volatility, stocks

Thomas Frank 11:20 2025-04-09 UTC+2

"Golden" Forecasts: Gold at $3,500, $3,700 – Higher and Higher?

Gold forecasts are becoming increasingly dazzling in every sense, as analysts appear to be competing with one another over how high the precious metal could go. Rising geopolitical instability

Larisa Kolesnikova 11:07 2025-04-09 UTC+2

Markets on roller coaster: Dow plummets, gold rallying, Trump keeps investors on edge

The changes in Wall Street indices for the last 24 hours: the S&P 500 fell by 0.23%, the Nasdaq rose by 0.10%, and the Dow dropped by 0.91%. The S&P

12:25 2025-04-08 UTC+2

US Market News Digest for April 8

The Trump administration's latest wave of tariffs is reshaping economic expectations. Goldman Sachs is now forecasting a recession within the next 12 months, while JPMorgan analysts are pricing

Ekaterina Kiseleva 12:14 2025-04-08 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.