The euro is holding near record highs against the Japanese yen on Thursday, as the Japanese currency continues to languish under the weight of the Bank of Japan’s dovish policy stance. The EUR/JPY pair traded around 178.30 in European afternoon hours, up roughly 0.6% on the day, as investors digested the BoJ’s latest monetary policy decision and looked ahead to the European Central Bank (ECB) announcement later in the session.
The Bank of Japan left its short-term policy rate unchanged at 0.50%, a move that was widely expected by markets. The decision, backed by a 7–2 majority, saw board members Naoki Tamura and Hajime Takata dissent in favor of a 25-basis point hike to 0.75%, highlighting a growing but still limited divide within the board over the pace of policy normalization.
Despite persistent inflation pressures and rising wages in Japan, the central bank maintained a cautious approach. BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda reiterated that monetary conditions would remain accommodative “as long as necessary,” noting that the economy was still facing uncertainty from both global trade and geopolitical risks. “We will continue to raise the policy rate if the economy and prices move in line with forecasts,” Ueda said, while emphasizing that the bank must remain vigilant amid fragile global demand and policy uncertainty in major economies.
The tone from the BoJ reinforced the view that Japan’s normalization path will be slow and incremental — a stance that continues to undermine the yen’s appeal. The currency remains one of the weakest among major peers this year, pressured by a wide yield gap with the U.S. and Europe. The spread between Japanese and European bond yields remains particularly stark, fueling carry trade demand that favors the euro and other higher-yielding currencies.
In contrast, the euro found additional support from stronger-than-expected macroeconomic data earlier in the day. Preliminary figures showed that the Eurozone’s GDP expanded by 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in Q3, outpacing expectations for 0.1%. On an annual basis, growth reached 1.3% year-on-year, slightly above forecasts and suggesting that the bloc’s economy continues to show resilience despite high borrowing costs and sluggish manufacturing activity.
The data underpins the ECB’s case for maintaining its current cautious stance rather than pivoting toward renewed tightening. Inflation in the euro area has eased in recent months but remains above the central bank’s target, while the economic outlook remains fragile amid weak business sentiment and subdued consumer spending.
Attention now turns to the ECB’s monetary policy decision, scheduled for 13:15 GMT. Markets expect all three key policy rates to remain unchanged — the Deposit Facility Rate at 2.00%, the Main Refinancing Operations Rate at 2.15%, and the Marginal Lending Facility Rate at 2.40%. Traders will focus on Christine Lagarde’s post-meeting remarks for any hints on whether the ECB may adjust its stance before year-end or maintain its “higher for longer” rate posture.
Lagarde’s tone could be pivotal for short-term moves in the euro. A hawkish signal emphasizing inflation risks could reinforce euro strength, while any dovish hints about policy easing in early 2026 could cap gains. For now, traders appear comfortable betting on further euro resilience against the yen, given the clear divergence between the ECB’s relatively steady approach and the BoJ’s entrenched dovishness.
Technical Analysis
From a technical perspective, EUR/JPY maintains a bullish outlook after breaking above the 178.80 resistance level earlier in the session — a move that signals continued upward momentum. A sustained move above this threshold could open the way for further gains toward 180.00 and potentially 182.00, marking fresh multi-year highs.
However, a pullback below 177.05 would invalidate the near-term bullish bias, likely triggering a corrective move toward 176.30 and 175.65. For today, analysts expect the trading range between 177.10 and 178.65, with momentum indicators still favoring the upside as long as the pair holds above 177.00.
TRADE RECOMMENDATION
BUY EURJPY
ENTRY PRICE: 178.50
STOP LOSS: 177.05
TAKE PROFIT: 182.00