Week in FX Asia – Hot Money Booking Yen Profits

This has been a tough week for anyone involved in two of the markets most crowded trades – long the Nikkei and short Yen. Dealers and investors like volatility, it provides opportunity. However, having an equity index decline -7.9% in a single session is maybe a tad too much for some individuals to stomach.

Even though risk aversion promotes holding Yen, it’s the “capitulation” trade that underlies much of the USD/JPY move lower this week. Mind you, investors can also point blame at a few ‘official comments’ that have also aided the Yen’s in its rapid rise. Earlier this week, Japan’s Economic minister said that the Yen’s gain is a natural reaction to curb the overly rapid equity rise. Combine this with the MOF data revealing that the domestic investor was selling foreign assets again last week and this market had the basic ingredients to ignite a Yen rise.

Despite the market being deeply negative on the Yen, which would suggest that dollar bids remain on the downside, the mere presence of such enormous paper profits in long Nikki and short Yen is making profit taking as the markets prime motivator lower. Even though foreign hot money has been driving the Japanese equity rally and the Yen decline, the dollar bids could disappear if prices were to make an assault on ¥100.

Next week Kuroda and BoJ will set the initial tone for Yen trading ahead of Japanese inflation numbers later in the week.

Dean Popplewell, Director of Currency Analysis and Research @ OANDA MarketPulseFX

 

• Nikkei Climbs 1 Percent after Thursday Fall
• Japan Banks on Edge Thanks to Choppy Bond Markets
• Nikkei Plunge Won’t Upset BOJ’s Plan
• BOJ’s Kuroda Faces Communications Test
• Japan 10 Year Bond Hits 1 Percent
• Nikkei Drops 7 Percent After China PMI and Feds Comments
• China Manufacturing Pushes European Stock-Index Futures Lower
• China’s PMI and Fed Comments Spreads Across Asia
• Asian Stocks Trading Lower on Shrinking Chinese Manufacturing
• Singapore’s Service Sector Driving Economic Growth
• Weak Yen Increases Costs of Imports Japan Posts 10th Deficit
• Bank of Japan Unanimously Maintains Policy
• BOJ Affirms Easing Plan
• Japan Exports Rise in April but Trade Deficit Remains
• China may be clearing some of their USD FX reserves
• Business Spending in Japan remains weak despite Abenomics
• Chinese Property Prices Continue to Climb

WEEK AHEAD

* JPY BOJ Governor Kuroda Speech in Tokyo
* JPY Bank of Japan meeting minutes
* USD Consumer Confidence
* JPY Bank of Japan conference
* EUR German Unemployment Change
* EUR German Consumer Price Index
* CAD Bank of Canada Rate Decision
* USD Gross Domestic Product
* USD Gross Domestic Product Price Index
* JPY National Consumer Price Index
* CNY Manufacturing PMI
* EUR Euro-Zone Consumer Price Index
* CAD Gross Domestic Product

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.