- AUD/JPY finds support amid renewed optimism over trade negotiations between Australia and the European Union.
- EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic has suggested establishing a new timeline for talks with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell.
- Japan's Producer Price Index rose by 0.4% MoM and surged 4.2% YoY in March, exceeding market expectations.
The AUD/JPY pair recovered its daily losses and is trading above the 91.00 mark during Thursday’s Asian session. The Australian Dollar (AUD) is finding support amid optimism over renewed trade negotiations between Australia and the European Union (EU).
In a one-hour video call on Wednesday evening, EU officials agreed to revive the stalled trade talks with Australia. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic proposed setting a fresh timeline for discussions with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell. The previous round of negotiations collapsed two years ago over disagreements on agricultural market access for the EU’s 450 million consumers.
However, the AUD faced headwinds amid escalating trade tensions between the US and China. US President Donald Trump announced an immediate tariff hike on Chinese imports to 125%, following China’s retaliatory increase to 84% on US goods. The renewed trade conflict clouds the outlook for the commodity-linked AUD, given Australia’s strong trade ties with China.
The upside in AUD/JPY cross could be limited as the Japanese Yen (JPY) maintains a bullish tone. This is supported by market expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will continue raising interest rates, following stronger-than-expected Producer Price Index (PPI) data.
Japan's PPI climbed 0.4% in March and surged 4.2% year-over-year, surpassing market expectations. The stronger-than-anticipated data may feed into higher consumer prices, reinforcing the case for further policy tightening by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) and lending support to the Japanese Yen.
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.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
AUD/USD holds lower ground near 0.6350 after weak Aussie jobs data
AUD/USD is holding lower ground near 0.6350 in Asian trading on Thursday. The downbeat Australian jobs data fans RBA rate cut bets, maintaining the downward pressure on the pair. US-China trade tensions and US Dollar recovery act as a headwind for the pair.
USD/JPY stages a recovery from multi-month low; upside seems limited
USD/JPY rebounds from the 141.60 area, or a seven-month trough touched during the Asian session on Thursday amid a modest USD bounce, though it lacks follow-through as trade-war woes continue to underpin the safe-haven JPY.
Gold price extends the record run amid US tariffs-inspired rush to safety
Gold price builds on the previous day's breakout momentum above the $3,300 mark and touches a fresh all-time peak during the Asian session on Thursday. Tariff uncertainty, the escalating US-China trade war, global recession fears, and expectations of more aggressive Fed easing continue to support XAU/USD.
Ethereum face value-accrual risks due to data availability roadmap
Ethereum declined 1%, trading just below $1,600 in the early Asian session on Thursday, as Binance Research's latest report suggests that the data availability roadmap has been hampering its value accrual.
Future-proofing portfolios: A playbook for tariff and recession risks
It does seem like we will be talking tariffs for a while. And if tariffs stay — in some shape or form — even after negotiations, we’ll likely be talking about recession too. Higher input costs, persistent inflation, and tighter monetary policy are already weighing on global growth.
The Best brokers to trade EUR/USD
SPONSORED Discover the top brokers for trading EUR/USD in 2025. Our list features brokers with competitive spreads, fast execution, and powerful platforms. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, find the right partner to navigate the dynamic Forex market.