The yen pared declines on Friday, with the Nikkei newspaper reporting that the Bank of Japan inquired with market participants about exchange-rate levels, a step often seen as a precursor to official intervention. Japan’s currency had been down more steeply earlier in the session after the BOJ delivered a widely expected interest-rate increase, but disappointed traders who were hoping for clearer guidance from the central bank indicating plans to raise borrowing costs further. The Japanese currency was down 0.5% at ¥156.75 per dollar at about 3:45 p.m. in New York, after losing as much as 1.3% earlier in the session.
The Nikkei reported, without saying where it got the information, that the BOJ had conducted what traders dub a “rate check.” The report comes just weeks after a historic joint intervention by U.S. and Japanese authorities aimed at supporting the beleaguered yen, which roughly two months ago touched its weakest level in decades.
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