The USD/JPY pair traded near 159.00–159.50 in mid-August, having retraced much of its post-intervention drop . The pair remains capped below key resistance at 159.50
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Despite structural downside risks for the US dollar — signaled by gold's safe-haven bid, Swiss bank warnings on US asset erosion, and mixed bond flows — wide US–Japan yield differentials continue to support the pair near current levels . With the US Federal Funds rate at 3.50–3.75% versus Japan's 1.00%, USD/JPY remains a dominant carry trade pair, limiting near-term yen strength
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Analyst forecasts for the yen remain divided:
The coming week's data will be critical for confirming or undermining the case for a September BOJ hike.
Japan
United States
Strong Japanese GDP and an upside CPI surprise on Friday would heavily reinforce the case for a September BOJ hike. Soft US data or dovish FOMC minutes could add further USD downside pressure, narrowing the US–Japan rate differential and supporting the yen.