By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese authorities refrained on Wednesday from disclosing whether or not they had stepped into the market to prop up the yen and careworn their resolve to behave in opposition to extra volatility, conserving markets on alert for the possibility of yen-buying intervention.

After sliding under the psychologically essential 150 per greenback mark to its weakest degree in a yr, the yen strengthened sharply on Tuesday, main some market members to consider Tokyo had intervened to help the foreign money.

Talking to reporters, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki declined to touch upon whether or not Tokyo had stepped in, and repeated that foreign money charges should transfer stably reflecting fundamentals.

“We’re able to take crucial motion in opposition to extra volatility, with out ruling out any choices,” Suzuki mentioned, a view echoed by prime foreign money diplomat Masato Kanda.

In an indication of the federal government’s rising alarm over the yen’s weak spot, Kanda mentioned he met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a while Wednesday to “focus on the economic system typically.”

Kanda declined to say whether or not he mentioned the yen with the premier, however advised reporters after the assembly that any intervention would goal volatility relatively than yen ranges.

The greenback stayed properly off the 150-mark in Asia on Wednesday and stood at 148.93 yen in early European buying and selling, because the remarks from Suzuki and Kanda, who’re answerable for deciding whether or not and when to step in, stored traders on alert over intervention dangers.

Nevertheless it has depreciated round 12% to this point this yr, and a few analysts questioned how lengthy Tokyo can preserve yen bears at bay.

“It is unsure whether or not Tuesday’s volatility was on account of intervention. However judging from the federal government’s coverage and from the instruments left for Japan, the finance ministry is probably going eager to step in,” mentioned Yoshimasa Maruyama, chief market economist at SMBC Nikko Securities.

“When yen-selling strain persists, the possibility of intervention reversing the greenback/yen’s pattern is not excessive.”

The Financial institution of Japan’s cash market information confirmed Japan seemingly didn’t intervene within the foreign money market on Tuesday, although market gamers mentioned they wanted to take a look at information accessible on Thursday to verify that.

UNDER PRESSURE

Japanese authorities are going through renewed strain to fight the sustained depreciation of the yen, as traders confront the prospect of higher-for-longer U.S. rates of interest whereas the Financial institution of Japan stays wedded to its super-low rate of interest coverage.

Highlighting the conflicting objectives Japan is chasing, the BOJ performed emergency bond shopping for on Wednesday to maintain long-term charges from rising a lot and hurting the delicate economic system.

The BOJ’s choice in July to permit long-term charges to rise extra freely did little to reverse the yen’s downtrend, as markets targeted on Governor Kazuo Ueda’s pledge to maintain simple coverage till sturdy development in wage and inflation is foreseen.

Kanda brushed apart the view that authorities have been making an attempt to defend a sure yen degree, saying that they have a look at varied elements with a deal with market volatility.

“If currencies transfer an excessive amount of on a single day or, say, every week, that is judged as extra volatility,” Kanda mentioned.

“Even when that is not the case, if we see one-sided strikes accumulate into very large strikes in a sure time frame, that is additionally extra volatility,” Kanda added. He declined to touch upon whether or not the in a single day yen strikes have been extreme.

However former BOJ official Hideo Kumano warned in opposition to taking the feedback at face worth, stating that Tuesday’s yen spike had the footprints of intervention.

“It is a robust present of resolve by Japanese authorities that they will not tolerate the yen’s decline under 150,” mentioned Kumano, who’s now chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Analysis Institute.

“By not disclosing whether or not they’ve intervened, authorities can instill warning out there on what they might do subsequent.”

Whereas a weak yen provides Japanese exports a lift, it has been a headache for each policymakers and households alike, by inflating the price of uncooked materials imports.

With inflation already exceeding the BOJ’s 2% goal for greater than a yr, the yen’s current declines put strain on the central financial institution when it meets for a fee assessment ending on Oct. 31.

“If the greenback/yen strikes sharply above 150, the BOJ might push ahead the timing of a coverage tweak,” mentioned Ryutaro Kono, chief Japan economist at BNP Paribas (OTC:) Securities, predicting that there was a slim likelihood the financial institution might act this month.

Tokyo final intervened to purchase yen in September and October final yr, when the foreign money finally slumped to a 32-year low of 151.94 per greenback.