LONDON—The U.S. dollar touched a more than seven-month high against the Japanese yen on Thursday after their respective central banks reaffirmed divergent policy plans, while Sweden’s crown hit a record low after the Riksbank modestly raised its policy rate.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell—speaking on a panel with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda on Wednesday—noted that two rate rises were likely this year, and did not rule out the possibility of a hike in July.
By contrast, Ueda reiterated that “there’s still some distance to go” in sustainably achieving 2 percent inflation accompanied by sufficient wage growth, the conditions the BOJ has set for considering an exit from ultra-easy stimulus….