How do you trade the Fed-BoJ rate gap?

The gap between US and Japanese rates is wide again, and it drives USD/JPY's carry appeal — with intervention as the counterweight. The pair is a tug-of-war between two forces.

What's your approach?

  • how you weigh carry against intervention risk
  • the levels or signals you watch
  • whether you prefer yen crosses to USD/JPY

Background: carry trade and intervention.

Background: The carry trade explained, and why it can unwind so quickly

Borrowing in a low-interest currency to hold a high-interest one can earn steady income, until the exchange rate turns. How carry works and where the risk hides.

What is a carry trade in forex?

Buying a higher-yielding currency against a lower-yielding one to earn the interest rate difference, usually received as a positive overnight swap.

Why do carry trades unwind suddenly?

They are often crowded. When markets turn fearful, many traders close the same positions at once, buying back the funding currency and pushing it sharply higher.

Read the full guide

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