USD/JPY Rallies as yen falls apart

The USD/JPY pair rallied on Tuesday and took out the symbolic level of 142, scoring a fresh 24-year low as the US dollar sprung into life again and while the gap between Japanese monetary policy and its counterparts widens. USD/July hit the highest levels since August 1998.

Japan’s Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speak forcefully and persuasively about the national currency but that practically did nothing to prevent it from falling to a 24-year low on Tuesday.

He reiterated that sharp yen moves were “undesirable” and that he was watching rising volatility in the exchange market with a “great sense of urgency”. “It’s important for currencies to move stably, reflecting economic fundamentals,” Suzuki told reporters at the finance ministry.

When pressed to comment on the impact of a weak yen on the economy, Suzuki said “a weak yen has both merit and demerit, but sharp moves are undesirable.”