It was a reasonably quiet session here in Asia today.

Data confirmed a tight labour market in Japan, with some arguments that this augers well for wage rises. The counter to this is that Japanese unemployment had been low for years before wages began rising. It took political pressure to get wage rises.

In Japan political news it appears that PM Ishiba is negotiating with the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) to join the LDP/Komeito coalition. Head of the DPP, Yuichiro Tamaki says he wants the Bank of Japan to stop hiking rates, saying real wages are not rising:

  • "Once there is certainty that real wages will exceed 4% at next year's spring wage negotiations, that's when the BOJ can review monetary policy".

Wow, that's a long way off.

USD/JPY has dribbled a little lower on the session, and is around 153.00 as I post.

Elsewhere across major FX ranges have been very small indeed.

USDJPY wrap chart 29 October 2024 2