The dollar jumps to 20-year high against the Japanese yen

The dollar rally has reached a 20-year high against the Japanese yen, as investors take a massive short position against the Asian currency.

At the time of writing, the greenback soared 0.42% to 133.17 yen, a level not seen since April 2002. The dollar has maintained a bullish pace since the start of the year, gaining 15.66%  Year-to-Date.

The yen is usually influenced by 10-year Treasury yields, which rose to 3.064% for the first time in almost four weeks.

The Bank of Japan’s yield-curve management program, on the other hand, has pinned corresponding Japanese yields near zero, with central bank governor, Haruhiko Kuroda reiterating an unshakeable commitment to massive monetary stimulus on Monday.

What you should know

• Bloomberg reports that investors from Tokyo to New York are betting on additional weakness in the yen, which is already at a two-decade low against the dollar. The rise is being driven by the expanding yield differential between US Treasuries and Japanese government bonds, which shows no indications of narrowing anytime soon.
• The Yen emerges as  the worst-performing Group-of-10 currency this year, while the  dollar index – which measures the currency against six major peers – rose 0.17 % to 102.61 at the time of writing, up 6.63% YTD
• Consumer price figures due Friday will provide more clues on the Fed’s rate-hiking path, ahead of next week’s policy decision, where a half-point increase is widely expected.
• The euro slipped 0.21% to $1.0674 ahead of the European Central Bank’s rate-setting meeting on Thursday, with traders, who have already priced in several hikes and the end of bond-buying stimulus, wanting more clarity on what comes after.