The Yen Thursday handed back some of the previous day’s gains following the announcement of the truce in the Middle East conflict, weakening 0.15% against the greenback to 158.81 per dollar.
The overnight indexed swap (OIS) market is pricing in a 55% chance of an interest rate hike in the Bank of Japan’s meeting later this month, data from money market broker Tokyo Tanshi showed.
The euro was down 0.01% at $1.1661 while sterling edged 0.01% higher to $1.3393.
Among currencies, the U.S. dollar has been the major beneficiary of the war, in part because the U.S. is a net energy exporter and therefore less exposed to the economic hit that oil importers like Japan and many European countries might face.
Investors anxiously assessed whether a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran would hold.
The ceasefire deal appeared to be on thin ice, as Israel continued its parallel war against the Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Tehran accused both Israel and the U.S. of violating the agreement and said that proceeding with peace talks would be “unreasonable.”
The Strait of Hormuz also remained shut to vessels sailing without a permit, and shippers said they would resume transit before, sending oil prices higher.
U.S. President Donald Trump said all of its ships, aircraft, and military personnel would stay in place in and around Iran until it fully complied with the deal.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, was flat at 99.07.
The five-week war has shaken investor confidence, triggering the largest disruption to global oil and gas supplies on record.
The uneasy truce leaves Iran with greater leverage over shipping through the vital strait than before the conflict.
Strong U.S. data could trigger a rebound in the dollar, Akihiko Yokoo, senior analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, said in a note to Reuters.
The Naira was quoted at 1,379.50 per Dollar on Thursday, moving marginally from an opening low of 1,378.98, according to data from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM). Trading activity remained moderate in the early hours, with the intraday peak reaching 1,380.00 before settling at the current rate.
The Australian dollar weakened 0.06% versus the greenback to $0.7039. New Zealand’s kiwi strengthened 0.17% versus the greenback to $0.5832.
In cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin fell 0.49% to $71,030.07. Ethereum declined 1.06% to $2,186.50.