The Japanese yen fell to a new 20-year low against the dollar on Wednesday, pushed down by expectations that the Bank of Japan will defy global trends and keep monetary policy loose.
The yen dropped as much as 1.4 per cent against the US currency, taking it past ¥134 per dollar. It has declined roughly 4 per cent this month and has in recent days neared its weakest level since early 2002.
The move came after the governor of the BoJ said that consumers had become “more tolerant” of price rises, comments that he later retracted. Speaking at the FT’s Global Boardroom event, Haruhiko Kuroda said that a weakening yen would boost the profits of Japanese companies.