Overview
- An analysis of Bank of Japan accounts by Bloomberg suggests about ¥10 trillion ($63 billion) was used to buy yen around the end of April and through Golden Week, and an anonymous person familiar with the matter confirmed an April 30 operation.
- Japan’s Ministry of Finance is scheduled to publish official intervention totals for the April 28–May 27 period at 1900 JST and will not provide a daily breakdown until August, leaving traders to read the headline number for clues about further activity.
- The yen has slid back toward the 160-per-dollar threshold, trading near ¥159.6, while overnight index swaps show roughly an 80% chance the Bank of Japan will raise rates at its June meeting.
- Japan held about $1.17 trillion in foreign reserves at the end of April and Goldman Sachs estimates there is capacity for many similar-scale operations but expects authorities to use that firepower selectively because of reputational, diplomatic and market-impact costs.
- Market strategists warn intervention is a temporary bridge rather than a structural fix and say the MOF print and the BOJ’s June decision are the key events that will determine whether Tokyo can sustain any lasting support for the yen.