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- USD/JPY edges lower to near 156.85 in Friday’s Asian session.
- Japanese authorities intervened in the FX market again during the May holidays.
- The US April employment report will be the highlight on Friday.
The USD/JPY pair loses ground to around 156.85 during the Asian session on Friday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthens against the US Dollar (USD) following another intervention by Japanese authorities. Markets might turn cautious later on Friday ahead of the US April employment report.
Reuters reported on Friday, citing a source familiar with the matter, that Japan’s officials intervened in the foreign exchange market during holidays in early May after having conducted Japanese yen-buying operations on April 30. The source said: “The intervention since the start of May was timed to coincide with the holiday period, when market liquidity was thin.”
The potential for further interventions could provide some support to the JPY and act as a headwind for the pair. Japan’s top foreign exchange official Atsushi Mimura said on Thursday that authorities are prepared to respond on all fronts to speculative moves in the foreign exchange market.
All eyes will be on the US employment report for April, which is due on Friday. Market consensus estimates 62,000 new jobs in April. This would be a sharp drop from the 178,000 jobs added in March. Furthermore, the Unemployment Rate is projected to remain steady at 4.3%.
