TOKYO: The dollar was on a shaky footing against the yen on Wednesday, having lost ground overnight, after US President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan ahead of an impending tariff deadline.
The US currency has been one of the biggest losers since Trump announced sweeping tariffs on trading partners on April 2, only to delay and suspend most of the duties as his administration sought bilateral trade deals.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that a tariff rate of 15 per cent was set on imports from Japan, down from the 25 per cent rate that was expected to take effect from August 1, and added the Asian nation will invest US$550 billion in the United States.
"Dollar softness seems to be our opening proposition," said Michael McCarthy, Market Strategist at Moomoo Australia.
"Clearly there's some dovishness infecting the market at the moment around the US dollar and we're seeing that in the bond markets too."
The dollar was largely flat at 146.61 yen, having slid 0.5 per cent in the previous session. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against major peers, was little changed at 97.430 after a three-day decline. The gauge has lost 6.6 per cent since Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement on April 2.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday the administration is more concerned with the quality of trade agreements than the timing.
Asked whether the deadline could be extended for countries engaged in productive talks with Washington, Bessent said Trump would make that decision.
Uncertainty over the eventual state of tariffs globally has been a huge overhang for the foreign exchange market, leaving currencies trading in a tight range for the most part, even as stocks on Wall Street have scaled fresh highs.
Japan's all-important auto industry and rice imports were sticking points in protracted trade talks with the US In his post on Truth Social, Trump said Japan would open to trade for US cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products, among other items.
Tariffs on Japanese autos would be set at 15 per cent, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The euro stood at US$1.1739, down 0.1 per cent. Sterling was little changed at US$1.35235, off 0.1 per cent.
Also weighing on investors' minds were worries about Federal Reserve independence, given Trump has repeatedly railed against Chair Jerome Powell and urged him to resign because of the central bank's reluctance to cut interest rates.
Bessent on Monday took a softer stance, saying there is no need for Powell to step down immediately, adding that he should see through the end of his term in May if he wants. The Australian dollar was steady at US$0.6557, while New Zealand's kiwi dollar traded at US$0.60065, up about 0.1 per cent .