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USD/JPY hits 11-day low as Japan’s Aso calls BOJ’s fight against deflation a mistake

  • The Japanese yen picked up a bid a few minutes before press time, possibly in response to Japanese Finance Minister Aso’s comments that BOJ’s fight against deflation is a mistake.
  • The currency pair hit an 11-day low of 111.65 before trimming losses, possibly on dovish comments from a Senior BOJ official.

The bid tone around the Japanese yen strengthened, pushing the USD/JPY pair down by 33 pips to an 11-day low of 111.65 earlier today after Japan’s Finance Minister called the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) and the Japanese government’s fight against deflation a mistake.

The Finance Minister said both institutions made a mistake by combating falling price pressures during the Heisei period, which started in February 1989 and is set to end on April 30, 2019. Aso added further that Japan has no intention of testing the modern monetary theory, which states that countries which issue their own currency can never “run out of money”.

Aso’s comments could bolster the already strong speculation that the Japanese central bank has run out of ammo. Further, it indicates growing discomfort among policymakers of having to run a “flood-like” stimulus.

The JPY, therefore, could continue to rise during the day ahead, more so, if the oil rally ends up triggering risk aversion.

As of writing, the USD/JPY pair is trading at 111.77. The minor recovery from session lows could be associated with the latest comments from BOJ officials that the central bank can do more if needed.

Technical Levels

 

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