BlockBeats News, December 8th: The market speculated that the Bank of Japan is likely to raise interest rates this month, but participants are still betting that the yen will continue to weaken.
Traders from Bank of America, Nomura Holdings, and RBC Capital Markets Canada said that investors' positions reflect this bet. Citigroup's "Yen Pain Index" remains deeply in negative territory, indicating that the market's negative sentiment towards the yen continues. Even though Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda hinted at a possible rate hike soon and the Bank of Japan is reportedly preparing to raise rates in December if the economy or financial markets are not significantly impacted, investors still insist on a bearish outlook on the yen. This is because even if the Bank of Japan takes action, Japan's yields are still expected to be significantly lower than those in the United States, which is more favorable for the dollar.
Ivan Stamenovic, G-10 Currency Trading Head for Bank of America's Asia-Pacific region, said: "Positions still favor a bet that the dollar will continue to rise against the yen before the end of the year unless the Bank of Japan brings a real surprise, this trend will not change." He added that Kuroda's hawkish comments sparked a discussion about this currency pair, but there has been no substantial shift in market sentiment. (FXStreet)
