Yen Holds Decline as Bessent Dismisses Intervention

2026-01-29 01:56 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

The Japanese yen held around 153.2 per dollar on Thursday, following a nearly 1% decline in the previous session, as the greenback rebounded after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed speculation of US intervention in the currency market to sell dollars against the yen.

Bessent reaffirmed that the US maintains a “strong dollar policy” and said that solid fundamentals should attract capital inflows, contrasting with President Donald Trump’s earlier indications that a weaker dollar would be acceptable.

Earlier this week, the yen surged roughly 4% to a three-month high amid speculation of a potential joint US-Japan intervention to prop up the yen, following a rate check by the New York Federal Reserve.

Traders remain cautious about the risk of unilateral action from Tokyo, although Bank of Japan data shows that authorities have not officially intervened in the market so far.

Political uncertainty also weighed on the yen in the run-up to the Feb. 8 lower house snap election.



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