Reuters : Japan and the United States conducted coordinated yen-buying intervention and will not hesitate to take further action, Japan’s finance ministry said on Monday, confirming a rare bilateral action to halt the yen’s slide to fresh 40-year lows.
The news underscores both countries’ resolve to prevent a sell-off in the yen and Japanese government bonds (JGB) from causing global spillovers, such as adding upward pressure on already rising U.S. Treasury yields, analysts say.
The joint intervention is the first since 2011’s coordinated action to weaken the yen after the devastating earthquake in eastern Japan.
In its statement, Japan’s finance ministry said Friday’s yen-buying intervention with the U.S. Treasury Department “countered excessive volatility and disorderly movements in the Japanese yen in recent months”.
“The Japanese Ministry of Finance remains attentive and in close communication with our counterparts at the U.S. Treasury,” it added. “We will not hesitate to conduct further joint intervention.”
Preceding the announcement, President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States was helping Japan to prop up the yen as a sign of friendship and to help the world economy.”They have a weakening yen, and they wanted a little bit of help. And we’re always there for Japan,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s query why the U.S. is helping to support the yen.
The dollar suddenly dropped against the yen on Monday, reversing gains it made earlier in the session after the confirmation from the U.S. and Japan that they intervened in the currency market. The dollar fell 0.6% against the yen to an intraday low of 156.50 in the Asian morning.
“The joint intervention is the culmination of Japan’s alliance with the United States,” Japan’s top currency diplomat Atsushi Mimura told reporters on Monday.
“We will continue to align (currency policy) with the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy,” he said, suggesting the government will work hand in hand with the BOJ in arresting yen falls.
