{
  "id": 9684577,
  "title": "Asian currencies weaken as dollar hits two-month high, yen nears 160",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/asian-currencies-weaken-as-dollar-hits-two-month-high-yen-nears-160",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-25T02:38:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Investing.com",
    "slug": "investing-com",
    "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/forex-news/asian-currencies-weaken-as-dollar-hits-twomonth-high-yen-nears-160-4916545"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asian currencies faced downward pressure on Friday as the U.S. dollar reached a two-month high, with the Japanese yen nearing the significant level of 160 per dollar due to concerns about intervention by Japanese authorities. This development was driven by rising Treasury yields, stronger U.S. economic indicators, and expectations for additional Federal Reserve rate hikes. The U.S. dollar index stood at approximately 101.23, after gaining 0.2% in early Asian trading after a four-day surge. The index has risen about 1.1% this week, matching the pace of the previous week. The USD/JPY pair was around 158.46, down 0.3%, as the yen weakened to 159.04 on Thursday, its lowest level since September 2. Traders are closely monitoring 160 as a potential threshold for further yen weakness. The dollar's recent rise coincided with a surge in U.S. Treasury yields, following economic data indicating robust activity and sustained price pressures. The 30-year Treasury yield hit its highest level since June 2004, while the 10-year yield reached its highest point in nearly two decades. Weekly initial jobless claims fell to 197,000, below the 201,000 estimate from a Reuters poll, indicating a resilient labor market. Federal Reserve officials have indicated that additional rate hikes may be necessary if inflation does not ease after the Fed raised rates by 25 basis points last week to 3.75%-4.00%. The latest data has bolstered expectations for another increase. Oil prices contributed to inflationary pressures, with crude rising nearly 4% in volatile trading following a Houthi missile strike on Saudi Arabia, which raised concerns about potential supply disruptions. However, gains were limited after reports of discussions between the U.S. and Iran regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The yen has weakened for two weeks since the Bank of Japan's September 18 policy meeting, where the central bank accelerated its tightening cycle but was seen as insufficiently hawkish compared to the Federal Reserve's aggressive tightening stance. The yen's decline toward 160 has reignited speculation of possible Japanese intervention. Japan's return from its holiday further subjected the currency to closer scrutiny as the USD/JPY pair approaches a level that has historically drawn attention from traders for potential official action. The Australian dollar experienced the steepest weekly decline against the U.S. dollar, falling 1.6%, following an increase in Australia's unemployment rate to 4.6% in August, the highest level since 2021, which somewhat undermined the currency's monetary policy support. The AUD/USD pair was around $0.7014, while the NZD/USD pair was near $0.5659. The Chinese yuan also faced renewed pressure, with the USD/CNY pair rising for the second consecutive day to 6.7133, after spending three sessions below 6.70 for the first time since January 2023. Other currency pairs saw fluctuations as well, with the USD/KRW pair falling 0.3% to 1,361.75, the USD/IDR pair rising 0.3% to 17,930.1, the USD/INR pair remaining steady at 96.075, and the USD/MYR pair declining 0.3% to 4.0735. The USD/SGD pair was approximately 1.2791.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}