New extremes may follow big corrections in FX markets
Aug 6 (Reuters) -Extreme situations like the plunge in yen's value lead to big corrections but its rebound may lay the foundations of an even bigger decline fuelled by the same factors.
The yen collapsed under the weight of monetary policy falling to a record low on a trade-weighted basis in June this year, before changes to policy in July helped to drive USD/JPY to 141.68 from a 161.96 peak reached on July 3.
While the USD/JPY move may seem large, it pales in significance compared to the rise that followed when Japan's interest rate was cut to zero percent in 2010, which coincided with the BOJ buying risky assets like exchange-traded funds (ETF) as part of a newly introduced asset-buying programme.
In that respect the sell-off is negligible, not quite reaching the 23.6% retracement of the rise from 75.31 in 2011 which is 141.51.
What the drop has certainly done though is to alleviate overbought conditions, and purge yen shorts, leaving USD/JPY at a far higher base to resume its rise than was seen after the massive FX interventions of 2022 when the pair fell toward 127.
It has also shocked markets and the Japanese central bank which will surely be fearful of changing policy further. This is not without precedent as decades of easy policy followed a domestic banking crisis spurred by a small interest rate hike in 2000.
With BOJ policy weighing yen whether it changes further or not, a rally from 141 could eclipse this year's highs. Given the influence of extremes the potential targets for a bigger rally may be retracements related to the plunge triggered by the Plaza Accord in 1985 at 168 and 190, or the target to correct USD/JPY's drop since 1970 which is 183.
Should yen drop, it will doubtless be used to fund carry trades to buy higher-yielding assets once again, underpinning many other currencies like pound, New Zealand dollar, and Mexican peso that were popular purchases before the purge of yen shorts.
For more click on FXBUZ
USDJPY and plaza accord drop https://tmsnrt.rs/3Wsbu1m
USDJPY since 1970 https://tmsnrt.rs/3AaT122
USDJPY https://tmsnrt.rs/4d0KYDv
(Jeremy Boulton is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)
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