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FOREX-Yen off lows but stays defensive ahead of BOJ

Published 26/04/2016, 09:41 am
© Reuters.  FOREX-Yen off lows but stays defensive ahead of BOJ
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* Yen drifts off multi-week lows vs euro and dollar

* Market seen subdued as Fed, BOJ loom

* Sterling outperforms as Brexit jitters ease

By Ian Chua

SYDNEY, April 26 (Reuters) - The yen found a steadier footing early on Tuesday, having crept up from multi-week troughs against the dollar and euro as investors adjusted positions ahead of the Bank of Japan policy review.

Speculation of further easing sent the yen reeling late last week, but uncertainty over whether the BOJ will actually deliver fresh stimulus at its April 27-28 meeting saw the Japanese currency recover some ground on Monday. dollar stood at 111.18 yen JPY= , having recoiled from a three-week high of 111.90. The euro fetched 125.38 yen EURJPY=R , off a three-week peak of 125.525.

Sterling was a standout performer as Brexit worries ebbed. The pound hit a 10-week high of $1.4520 GBP=D4 , while the euro slid to a six-week low of 77.47 pence EURGBP=R . has made an important close above 1.4458, officially ending a series of lower highs since June 2015. This suggests that a near-term trend change might be on the cards," analysts at CitiFX wrote in a note to clients.

Investors are likely to retreat to the sidelines ahead of what analysts in Asia are calling Super Thursday, with policy decisions from the Federal Reserve and BOJ coming within hours of each other.

For kiwi players, there is also the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's rate decision on Thursday.

The Fed is considered certain to stand pat on interest rates and the focus is on any changes in the central bank's tone, particularly if it looks to prepare markets for hikes in interest rates in coming months. are barely pricing in the risk of a move this year after recent dovish comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen.

In contrast, the RBNZ's decision to ease or not is more of a line-ball call, traders said.

"If the RBNZ doesn't cut in April, we expect a firm easing bias to be expressed," analysts at Commonwealth Bank said.

The kiwi fell as far as $0.6836 NZD=D4 on Monday, from $0.7055 a week ago. It last stood at $0.6865. (Editing by Richard Pullin)

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