Japanese Finance Minister Katayama held an online meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent to discuss currency markets, sparking a temporary yen rally that quickly faded. The yen remains near its weakest level against the dollar in roughly four decades, with volatile intraday swings signaling that traders are pricing in both intervention risk and continued pressure. The short-lived nature of the bounce suggests markets are skeptical that diplomatic talks alone will reverse the trend.
A yen near 40-year lows creates ripple effects across global portfolios: it boosts the earnings of Japanese exporters when converted back to yen, pressures U.S. multinationals competing with cheaper Japanese goods, and keeps the Bank of Japan in a difficult spot between defending the currency and managing domestic rates. Investors holding international equity ETFs with Japan exposure or currency-hedged positions need to watch this closely, as intervention — if it comes — could cause sharp, sudden moves.
Bank of Japan next policy meeting: ~late July. U.S. CPI report: ~mid-July. Any official joint statement or unilateral yen intervention: no fixed date, but watch for early Tokyo trading sessions.
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