The yen fell for a sixth straight day on Tuesday, with the yen falling to a near two-week low against the dollar in Asia. Growing belief that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will wait until April to exit negative interest rate policy and yield curve control (YCC) has become a key factor weakening the yen. Beyond this, the U.S. dollar (USD) strengthened slightly, with USD/JPY rising to around 149.00 as bets on a sharp rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed) diminished.
Meanwhile, much larger-than-expected wage increases at Japan’s largest companies appear to have created the conditions for the Bank of Japan to abandon its decade-long stimulus measures, which should act as a tailwind for the yen. Traders may also avoid placing aggressive directional bets, preferring to stay on the sidelines ahead of key central bank event risks. The Bank of Japan will announce a high-profile decision soon, ahead of a blockbuster two-day Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting starting later today.