USD/JPY sticks to 151.40 amid BoJ’s cautious approach regarding monetary conditions

USD/JPY remains calm and hovers around 151.40 during the early European hours on Friday. Tokyo Consumer Price Index (YoY) for March climbed 2.6% following a 2.5% rise in February. Meanwhile, the Core Tokyo CPI climbed 2.9% year-over-year, down from a 3.1% rise in February.

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki made remarks on Friday emphasizing the importance of stable currency movements aligned with economic fundamentals. He expressed concern about rapid fluctuations in foreign exchange (FX) markets, attributing speculative activity to these movements. Suzuki stated that authorities are closely monitoring FX developments with a strong sense of urgency and are prepared to take necessary measures to address disorderly FX movements.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remarked on Thursday that it was fitting for the central bank to "maintain accommodative monetary conditions." Kishida also emphasized that the government would persist in collaborating with the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to facilitate wage increases and steer the economy away from deflation. The Japanese Yen (JPY) likely faced challenges due to the Bank of Japan's cautious approach to maintaining accommodative monetary conditions, thereby supporting the USD/JPY pair.

The US Dollar Index (DXY) strengthens, nearing 104.60, as recent data indicates annualized economic expansion in the United States (US), driven by consumer spending. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Annualized expanded by 3.4%, surpassing market expectations of remaining unchanged at a 3.2% increase. The US Gross Domestic Product Price Index remained steady with a 1.7% increase, in line with expectations for Q4.

The hawkish statements from a Federal Reserve (Fed) official, reinforced the Greenback. Fed Governor Christopher Waller's comments on Wednesday hinted at a potential delay in interest rate cuts, given the strong inflation figures.

(This story was corrected on March 29 at 08:30 GMT to say, in the second bullet, Tokyo CPI, not Japanese)