Japanese yen gained 150 against the U.S. dollar, the most vulnerable level not visited since August 1990

October 21, 2022: -The Japanese yen cut in the previous 150 against the U.S. dollar, a critical psychological level that was reaching levels not seen since August 1990.

The Bank of Japan’s two-day conference is slated for the coming week. Policymakers have ruled out a rate hike to defend against more than the weakening of the currency.

On Thursday, Japan’s 10-year government debt yields breached the 0.25% ceiling that the central bank vowed to defend in the last standing at 0.252%. The yield on the 20-year bond also rises to its highest since September 2015.

The Bank of Japan reported emergency bond-buying operations Thursday. It offered to buy 100-billion-yen ($666.98 million) Japanese government bonds with adultness of 10-20 years and another tranche worth 100 billion yen with maturities of 5-10 years.

The central bank has often vowed to purchase an unlimited amount of bonds at a fixed rate to cap 10-year government debt yields at 0.25% as part of its stimulus efforts for the economy.

On Thursday, Reuters spoke to Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said the government is taking “appropriate steps against excess volatility.”

“Recent rapid and wrong yen declines are undesirable. We absolutely cannot tolerate excessively volatile moves driven by speculative trading,” he said.

When asked how concerned USD/JPY is reaching levels around 150, ANZ chief economist Richard Yetsenga added that he’s “not that worried.”

“There are lots of emotive words about it, but what problems has it engendered?” he counted.

Shortly after the Bank of Japan’s latest decision to carry low-interest rates to support the country’s sluggish economy in the previous month, officials approved that they would support the currency against other weakening.

That intervention shortly caused the yen to 142 against the dollar. The spread between the highest and most low points intraday was the widest since 2016.

In April 1990, the yen traded at about 159.8 against the dollar and last breached 160 in December 1986.