Dollar falls nearly 1% on yen, traders alert to intervention risk
LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) -The yen strengthened steadily against the dollar on Wednesday, putting traders on alert to the prospect of official buying from Tokyo, after Japanese authorities last week likely stepped in to haul the currency away from 38-year lows.
The dollar was last down 0.99% at 156.7, its lowest in around a month. JPY=EBS The euro was also down 0.9%. EURJPY=EBS
Bank of Japan data released on Tuesday suggested Tokyo may have spent 2.14 trillion yen ($13.5 billion) intervening on Friday last week. Combined with the estimated amount spent on Thursday, Japan is suspected to have bought nearly 6 trillion yen via intervention last week.
Analysts and traders were not certain what was behind the move, but said market volatility could be disrupting 'carry trades' that had been a factor in the yen's weakness.
"With volatility coming back, I think that there will be more carry trades unwinding," said Hoe Lon Leng, global head of FX flow at Nomura in Singapore.
"When volatility is up and markets start to move ... you just want less exposure."
Reporting by the EMEA and Asia markets teams, editing by Amanda Cooper
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
