Overview
- At 5 p.m. New York time on March 20, the dollar traded at ¥159.18–¥159.28, reflecting a ¥1.53 weakening of the yen from the prior close.
- The shift partially unwound the previous day’s rally, when USD/JPY closed at ¥157.65–¥157.75 after President Donald Trump denied plans to deploy U.S. ground troops to Iran.
- Kyodo reporting said traders initially sold dollars and bought yen on perceptions that Middle East escalation risk had eased.
- Subsequent pricing pointed back toward dollar strength, highlighting fast reversals driven by geopolitical headlines rather than changes in Japanese domestic policy.
- The euro was quoted around $1.1565–$1.1575 in the latest New York session, compared with about $1.1585–$1.1595 a day earlier.