Japanese Yen struggles near 161.50 amid strained US-Iran peace talks
The Japanese Yen (JPY) is facing fresh headwinds and looking to resume its downside against the US Dollar (USD) as a new week kicks off in Asia on Monday.
The USD is finding fresh safe-haven bids, following the strained peace talks between the United States (US) and Iran over the weekend, which resulted in the Iranian negotiators walking out in protest to US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike Iran again.
Trump threatened after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, in the wake of the continued Israeli hostilities in Lebanon.
Trump said: "Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!"
Fox News reported that Trump had gone further in an interview, saying he had told Iranian officials if they closed the strait, "you won't have a country", and threatening to take over the waterway.
The Greenback’s renewed haven demand is driving the USD/JPY pair back toward the highest level since July 2024, near 161.80, hit last week.
However, the further upside in the pair remains at the mercy of the looming Japanese forex intervention risks, which could provide a floor to the JPY, especially after the recent hawkish Bank of Japan (BoJ) commentary and signals from the April meeting Minutes.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
NEAR Traders Are Pleased to See the Altcoin Break Above $5 and Trade Above, Will This Momentum Hold?

After Toshiba reported news of HDD production expansion, Morgan Stanley turned more bullish rather than bearish.
Morgan Stanley’s research indicates that the market has seriously overestimated Toshiba’s expansion scale — the doubling of capacity at its Philippines plant over two years translates to an annualized growth rate of about 30%, which is similar to the overall industry supply growth rate and far lower than demand growth. More importantly, channel checks show that Seagate and Western Digital have no intention of following suit with capacity expansion, and there are no signs of loosening in industry pricing.
BitMine lifts ETH holdings to 6 million as price holds above $2,700

Energy & Utilities Roundup: Market Talk
The latest Market Talks covering Energy and Utilities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET. 0637 GMT - SK Innovation is likely to benefit from higher lubricant base oil prices, LS Securities analyst K.H. Chung says. The South Korean refiner is a global leader in premium lubricant base oils, producing about 80,000 barrels of Group III base oils a day, Chung writes in a note. She expects the supply shortage of lubricant base oils to persist for more than a year. Tight supply of kerosene and diesel and wider refining margins could also continue to boost the company's earnings, she adds. LS Securities upgrades the stock to buy from hold and raises its target price to 187,000 won from 126,000 won. Shares end 2.6% higher at 158,000 won. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com) 0113 GMT - YTL Power International could see upside from its expanding data-center and AI infrastructure, as well as renewed power-generation opportunities, says Hong Leong IB analyst Daniel Wong in a note. Its Kulai and Sedenak West hubs offer 2.4GW of potential data-center capacity, while its AI-GPU capacity could scale to 100MW or more and support a new services business. The procurement of seven gas turbines totaling 5.25GW also positions YTL for power-generation growth and supports its expanding data-center pipeline, he reckons. Higher water tariffs and planned treatment plants at its unit Ranhill Utilities should support earnings as Johor's water demand rises, he adds. Hong Leong raises its target price to 8.08 ringgit from 7.58 ringgit and keeps a buy rating. Shares are 1.4% higher at 5.62 ringgit. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com) The price fetched by Amplitude Energy for its natural gas in 1Q should improve on the prior three months, supporting growth in revenue. That's the view of Bell Potter analyst Stuart Howe, who points to higher gas volumes in the quarter. Also, spot natural gas prices recovered to a quarterly average of A$9.77 per gigajoule, from A$8.42 per gigajoule in 4Q of FY26. Amplitude is due to report its 1Q p
