Ben Dollar News Today

Japan will respond appropriately to excessive volatility in the foreign exchange market, its top currency diplomat says in a fresh warning against "speculative" and "disorderly" yen moves after market talk of interventions last week.

The U.S. dollar was firmer against the yen but remained top-heavy in the upper 156 yen range on April 30 in Tokyo, as fears of intervention strengthened a day after Japanese authorities are suspected to have stepped in to stem the yen's slide.

The U.S. dollar was firmer against the yen but remained top-heavy in the upper 156 yen range on April 30 in Tokyo, as fears of intervention strengthened a day after Japanese authorities are suspected to have stepped in to stem the yen's slide.

Japan is closely watching currency movements and is ready to take all necessary steps, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki says, amid market caution about intervention to slow the yen's fall to 34-year lows against the U.S. dollar.

The yen slides to the 156 level against the U.S. dollar after the Bank of Japan left its policy rate unchanged and said it will continue bond purchases in accordance with its decision last month.

The U.S. dollar rises to new 34-year highs in Tokyo in the upper 155 yen range, as currency traders tested the limits of the yen's weakness amid speculation that a market intervention by Japanese authorities is still a way off.

Japan will take appropriate action to counter excessive volatility in the currency market without ruling out any options, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki says, as the yen weakened further and neared the psychologically important 155 line against the U.S. dollar.

In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.3%, paring some earlier losses, while Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.5%.

The yen fell into the 152 range against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday in New York for the first time in nearly 34 years as strong U.S. inflation data added to expectations that the Federal Reserve will

The yen briefly hits a 34-year low near the 152 line against the U.S. dollar in Tokyo on renewed expectations the Bank of Japan will maintain its accommodative stance even after raising interest rates for the first time in 17 years.