FX.co ★ Bank of Japan surprises markets with its sudden hawkish decision

Yen shot up on Tuesday after the Bank of Japan made a very bold decision on monetary policy. However, what is more important is the statements of Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, which gave investors an indication of what to expect when the policy ends.

Yesterday, Kuroda shocked markets by announcing that he will allow 10-year bond yields to rise to around 0.5%. This is obviously a strategic adjustment to buy time in determining the yield curve next year following the changes in central bank policy, when interest rates are forecast to rise. Currently, the yield on 10-year Japanese securities is at 0.46%. This has led to a rise in Japanese bank stocks as investors are waiting for higher returns from financial institutions.

Kuroda said all decisions taken were in order to increase the effectiveness of monetary policy. Given that his term ends next year, there will be at least two more meetings under his leadership, which means that his successor will complete the path to policy normalization.

But there are those who point out that higher yields will mean unrealized losses on Japanese government bonds, including those held by the Bank of Japan. A sustained policy change could also hit Japanese stocks, as well as break the latest bond yield peg and trigger a sell-off in dollar in favor of yen. That will lead to Japanese investors divesting from overseas investments, which could result in a sell-off in emerging markets.

As mentioned earlier, the forex market reacted to this by moving quite strongly. In USD/JPY, there is a strong support around 130.20, and its breakdown will lead to another sell-off around 126.20 to 121.10.

In EUR/USD, demand remains quite weak, but there is a chance to return to December highs if the European Central Bank retains its hawkish monetary policy. However, traders need to keep the quote above 1.0660 because only by that will euro hit 1.0700 and 1.0740. In case of a decline below 1.0580, pressure will surge, which will push the quote to 1.0540 and 1.0490.