Chart Of The Day: Yen Strengthens On Trade Risk And G7 Rhetoric

 | May 07, 2019 10:01AM ET

As the Japanese yen continues to strengthen for the third consecutive day, it isn’t clear whether the move is due to the currency's safe-haven status or because of conflicting interpretations of comments, by other G7 countries, about its recent weakness.

The outlook of increasingly aggressive monetary policy by the Bank of Japan to overcome persisting deflation has propelled the yen into a downtrend from the beginning of the year, while buoying equities to nearly 3-year highs. However, comments by top G7 officials appear to run counter to Japan’s path of easing, with governors and ministers from the group reiterating they won't use fiscal and monetary policies to devalue their currencies.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said today it's imperative none of the members abuse monetary policy to affect exchange rates — a tactic the U.S. accuses China of using, and a key issue in the ongoing trade talks between the two countries.

These contradictory messages mean it's hard to get a clear forward view. And technical analysis also echoes these hazy fundamentals, though the patterns are suggesting an ascending yen despite the BoJ's rhetoric.