The Japanese yen has edged lower in the Monday session. In North American trade, USD/JPY is trading at 112.68 up 0.12% on the day. On the release front, Japanese All Industries Activity improved 0.5%, up from 0.0% month earlier. The reading was a shade better than the estimate of 0.4%. On Tuesday, Japan releases BoJ Core CPI, the preferred indicator of the Bank of Japan.
Japanese policymakers are keeping a close eye on the strained relations between China and the U.S., as the trade war between the two economic giants shows no signs of abating. The U.S Treasury Department released its semi-annual report on foreign exchange rates, and there was some relief in the markets as the report did not name China as a currency manipulator. Still, the report said that the U.S was “deeply disappointed’ with that China refuses to disclose the extent of its foreign currency intervention. The Chinese yuan has slipped some 9 percent since April, and U.S officials are concerned that China has deliberately weakened the currency in order to counter U.S tariffs on Chinese goods, and will continue to monitor China’s currency practices.
The Bank of Japan’s radical monetary easing policy has cut into the profits of many financial institutions, but the BoJ has no plans to alter course. The bank released its semiannual financial system report, which noted that the financial sector shows no signs of overheating and that banks continue their “active lending attitudes”. The BoJ is unlikely to make any changes to policy before 2020, aside from some minor tweaks. Bank policymakers will meet on Oct. 30-31 for the next policy meeting.
