FILE PHOTO: A man walks past an electric monitor displaying the Japanese yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar, Euro and other foreign currencies outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File PhotoSINGAPORE : Asian stocks fell to a 11-month low on Wednesday after another piece of resilient U.S. economic data sent Treasury yields to fresh highs, while a sharp rise in the yen had traders speculating that Japanese authorities stepped into the market.
"The jump in job openings suggests the U.S. labour market is easing less rapidly than implied by recent data releases, vindicating the Fed's recent message that rates will remain higher for longer," said NAB FX strategist Rodrigo Catril. Most of the focus, however, was on the dollar/yen pair, which has been under pressure from the growing gap between rising U.S. yields and anchored Japanese rates. It recoiled almost instantly after spiking to 150.165.