Yen crosses once again led the volatility. USD/JPY fell in the early hours to lows under 143.25, continuing on Wednesday losses. We had data out of Japan that helped JPY gain ground, with (July) real wages rising for a second consecutive month. Real wages in Japan turned positive for the first time in 27 months in June. July followed up with another rise.

USD/JPY managed to bounce, though, retracing to cover all of its Asian time losses and its around 143.70+ as I post this wrap-up.

Also from Japan today were comments from Bank of Japan Board Member Takata. His comments were extensive (covered in the post linked above) but, in short, he said the Bank will continue to dial back decades of easy policy settings if the data on economic developments develop in line with its forecasts.

A speech from Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Bullock barely nudged the AUD. Governor Bullock said bringing inflation down to the target band of 2-3% remains the central bank's highest priority. Bullock emphasised her less-than dovish current stance by saying that "If the economy evolves broadly as anticipated, the board does not expect that it will be in a position to cut rates in the near term". Bullock speaks again later (at 0900 GMT, 0500 US Eastern time) in a pre-recorded ‘Fireside Chat’ at the Women in Banking & Finance Awards.

Apart from yen crosses major FX traded in very narrow ranges.

usdjpy chart wrap 05 September 2024 2