AUD/JPY faces selling pressure as RBA keeps interest rates steady at 3.6%, as expected
- AUD/JPY declines to near 100.40 as the RBA holds its OCR steady at 3.6%.
- Fears of price pressures remaining persistent force the RBA to maintain the status quo.
- The Japanese Yen attracts bids on hopes of stealth intervention from Japan’s finance ministry into forex markets.
The AUD/JPY pair slumps to near 100.40 during the Asian trading session on Tuesday as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has held its Official Cash Rate (OCR) steady at 3.6%. This is the second straight meeting when the RBA has maintained a status quo.
The RBA was already expected to do so as inflation at both the consumer and the wholesale level accelerated in the third quarter of the year.
Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a faster pace of 1.3% in the third quarter of the year against estimates of 1.1% and the prior reading of 0.7%. In the same period, Producer Price Index (PPI) grew by 1%, faster than estimates of 0.8% and the prior reading of 0.7%.
Additionally, the RBA has also stated that “recent inflation data indicates inflationary pressure may persist in the economy”.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Yen (JPY) has attracted slight bids on hopes that Japan’s Ministry of Finance could intervene in currency markets to support the currency against one-sided moves. One-sided and rapid moves are being seen" in yen trading, Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said at a news conference on Tuesday, Dow Jones newswire reported. She added that officials continue to monitor the situation "with a strong sense of urgency."
Japanese Yen Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Japanese Yen (JPY) against listed major currencies today. Japanese Yen was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.03% | 0.06% | -0.08% | 0.09% | 0.24% | 0.22% | 0.08% | |
| EUR | -0.03% | 0.03% | -0.11% | 0.06% | 0.21% | 0.19% | 0.05% | |
| GBP | -0.06% | -0.03% | -0.14% | 0.03% | 0.18% | 0.16% | 0.01% | |
| JPY | 0.08% | 0.11% | 0.14% | 0.18% | 0.33% | 0.30% | 0.16% | |
| CAD | -0.09% | -0.06% | -0.03% | -0.18% | 0.15% | 0.13% | -0.01% | |
| AUD | -0.24% | -0.21% | -0.18% | -0.33% | -0.15% | -0.02% | -0.16% | |
| NZD | -0.22% | -0.19% | -0.16% | -0.30% | -0.13% | 0.02% | -0.14% | |
| CHF | -0.08% | -0.05% | -0.01% | -0.16% | 0.01% | 0.16% | 0.14% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Japanese Yen from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent JPY (base)/USD (quote).
The Japanese currency has been underperforming its peers as investors turn clueless about when the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will raise interest rates again since Sanae Takaichi has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Japan. Takaichi has been seen following former PM Shinzo Abe’s fiscal policies that favor higher public spending, which undermines the appeal of the Japanese Yen.
RBA FAQs
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) sets interest rates and manages monetary policy for Australia. Decisions are made by a board of governors at 11 meetings a year and ad hoc emergency meetings as required. The RBA’s primary mandate is to maintain price stability, which means an inflation rate of 2-3%, but also “..to contribute to the stability of the currency, full employment, and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people.” Its main tool for achieving this is by raising or lowering interest rates. Relatively high interest rates will strengthen the Australian Dollar (AUD) and vice versa. Other RBA tools include quantitative easing and tightening.
While inflation had always traditionally been thought of as a negative factor for currencies since it lowers the value of money in general, the opposite has actually been the case in modern times with the relaxation of cross-border capital controls. Moderately higher inflation now tends to lead central banks to put up their interest rates, which in turn has the effect of attracting more capital inflows from global investors seeking a lucrative place to keep their money. This increases demand for the local currency, which in the case of Australia is the Aussie Dollar.
Macroeconomic data gauges the health of an economy and can have an impact on the value of its currency. Investors prefer to invest their capital in economies that are safe and growing rather than precarious and shrinking. Greater capital inflows increase the aggregate demand and value of the domestic currency. Classic indicators, such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, employment, and consumer sentiment surveys can influence AUD. A strong economy may encourage the Reserve Bank of Australia to put up interest rates, also supporting AUD.
Quantitative Easing (QE) is a tool used in extreme situations when lowering interest rates is not enough to restore the flow of credit in the economy. QE is the process by which the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) prints Australian Dollars (AUD) for the purpose of buying assets – usually government or corporate bonds – from financial institutions, thereby providing them with much-needed liquidity. QE usually results in a weaker AUD.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE. It is undertaken after QE when an economic recovery is underway and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to provide them with liquidity, in QT the RBA stops buying more assets, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It would be positive (or bullish) for the Australian Dollar.