The Japanese Yen surged over 2% against the US Dollar on Thursday, reaching a nearly one-month high, as hawkish remarks from Bank of Japan (BOJ) officials, including Kazuo Ueda, triggered a wave of unwinding in carry trades.

The Japanese Yen strengthened significantly this week, appreciating by nearly 3% on Wednesday and Thursday combined, marking its largest two-day gain since August 2024. This rally was primarily driven by hawkish statements from Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda and board member Hajime Takata, both of whom hinted at the possibility of a substantial interest rate hike at the BOJ's monetary policy meeting on September 18. The interest rate swap market has fully priced in a 25 basis point rate hike by the BOJ this month, and an additional approximately 75 basis points of hikes by July next year. This has put systemic unwinding pressure on carry trades funded by low-interest Yen, with capital withdrawal extending beyond USD assets. High-yielding currencies such as the Brazilian Real, South African Rand, and Mexican Peso all fell by over 1% against the Yen on Thursday. Nomura Securities predicts that a 25 basis point rate hike by the BOJ this month is reasonable, and if the Yen's depreciation trend continues towards 160, consecutive rate hikes in October and December are not impossible.