The yen has further to fall

The Japanese currency has fallen fast since it hit a postwar record peak of ¥76 to the dollar, just after the earthquake and tsunami. Early this week it reached a six-month low above 84 to the dollar and an 11-month trough against the euro. Further falls are likely.

The Japanese currency has fallen fast since it hit a postwar record peak of 76 to the dollar, just after the earthquake and tsunami. Early this week it reached a six-month low above 84 to the dollar and an 11-month trough against the euro. Further falls are likely.

The post-earthquake spike was caused by investors seeking a safe haven and betting Japanese households and firms would repatriate money to help pay for the disaster. The world's major central banks then intervened by selling billions of dollars of yen. That, along with the threat of further action, appears to have "drawn a line in the sand", says Paul Niven of Foreign & Colonial. It helps that "in this instance the G7 is pushing with fundamental forces, rather than against them".

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