Finance & economics | A slip of the yen

Japan will struggle to rescue its plummeting currency

Expensive government intervention looks likely to provide only brief respite

People look at exchange rates outside a currency exchange in central Tokyo, Japan on April 29th 2024
Photograph: Getty Images

The yen is on a wild ride. As Asian markets opened on April 29th, the currency plunged to a 34-year low of 160 to the dollar, adding to a hefty fall over the past three years (see chart). A sudden reversal to more like 155 to the dollar prompted rumours of intervention by the Bank of Japan (BoJ).

Explore more

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “A slip of the yen”

From the May 4th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Donald Trump in Brownsville, Texas on November 19th 2024

Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars

Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer

Illustration of a large anvil falling down on a government building.

How Trump, Starmer and Macron can avoid a debt crunch

With deficits soaring, their finance ministers will have to be smart


Scott Bessent speaks at the National Conservative Conference in Washington, DC.

What Scott Bessent’s appointment means for the Trump administration

The president-elect’s nominee for treasury secretary faces a gruelling job


What Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders get wrong about credit cards

Forget interest rates. Rewards are the real problem

Computers unleashed economic growth. Will artificial intelligence?

Two years after ChatGPT-3.5 arrived, progress has been slower than expected

Should investors just give up on stocks outside America?

No, but it is getting a lot harder to keep the faith