
USD/JPY hovers near 149.37, little changed after the Fed keeps rates unchanged but slows balance sheet reduction.
Inflation remains "somewhat" elevated, with the Fed revising PCE and Core PCE higher, while GDP and unemployment estimates were lowered.
Fed Governor Waller dissents, favoring an unchanged pace of balance sheet reduction as markets digest mixed policy signals.
The USD/JPY pair climbs on Wednesday after the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) decision to keep rates unchanged. Even though officials turned cautious on rates, the US Dollar (USD) failed to rally sharply. The pair hovers near 149.37, virtually unchanged.
Dollar struggles to rally despite Fed's cautious stance on inflation and policy
In its monetary policy statement, the Federal Reserve (Fed) acknowledged that labor market conditions remain solid but noted that inflation remains "somewhat" elevated. The FOMC reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring risks to both sides of its dual mandate and announced plans to slow the pace of balance sheet reduction starting in April.
The decision was unanimous, except for Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who preferred to keep the pace of balance sheet reduction unchanged.
In the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), the Fed funds rate projection remained at 3.9%, unchanged from December's forecast. Officials' projections for inflation remained upwardly revised, both PCE and Core PCE figures.
The US economy is expected to slow down below the 2% threshold, an indication that the economy has shifted fragilely amid US President Donald Trump's trade policies.
source; Fxstreet
The Japanese yen weakened to near 158.5 per dollar on Thursday, amid market concerns over the worsening fiscal outlook. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) began a two-day policy meeting, and traders remained war...
The USD/JPY pair weakened in Asian trading on Monday, hovering around 156.20 and briefly approaching 156.00. This weakening occurred after the Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthened, following signals from t...
The Japanese yen is the worst-performing major currency against the US dollar throughout 2025, despite the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raising interest rates. Even with further tightening measures, the yen co...
The Japanese yen weakened slightly during the Asian session on Wednesday, as investors remained cautious while awaiting the Bank of Japan (BoJ) policy update. Market focus now turns to the two-day BoJ...
The USD/JPY pair weakened to around 155.10 at the start of the Asian session on Tuesday. The yen strengthened slowly as markets became increasingly confident that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) would raise i...
Gold prices briefly caused a stir after hitting a new record, but then slowed. The main trigger: US President Donald Trump withheld the threat of tariffs on Europe and claimed there was a "framework" for a future agreement on Greenland. This calmer...
Oil prices were little changed in Asian trading on Thursday after US President Donald Trump backed down from a threat to impose tariffs on European countries over Greenland. This decision helped ease geopolitical tensions and improve market...
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.73% to close at 53,689, while the broader Topix Index rose 0.74% to 3,616 on Thursday, snapping a five-day losing streak as Japanese shares were lifted by a strong rally in chip and artificial intelligence related...