Investing.com - The yen rose sharply against the U.S. dollar on Friday, after the latest easing measures from the Bank of Japan fell short of market expectations.
The BoJ kept its main monetary stimulus target unchanged at ¥80 trillion Friday, but decided to extend the maturity of the Japanese government bonds it purchases from 10 to 12 years and set up a ¥300 billion fund to buy exchange-traded funds.
USD/JPY initially rose to a session high of 123.52 following the announcement, before leaking lower to end down 1.14% at 121.16, as analysts said that the BoJ's easing move was minor and did not amount to a significant change to its stimulus.
Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar weakened on Friday, one day after rising to a two-week high as markets continued to digest the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, ended Friday's session down 0.47% at 98.73.
It rose to 99.33 on Thursday, the most since December 3, after the Fed hiked interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to a range between 0.25% and 0.5% in a widely expected move.
Commenting on the decision, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said the FOMC will not be mechanical in its approach to normalize monetary policy and that future rate hikes would be gradual and data dependent.
EUR/USD inched up 0.37% on Friday to end the week at 1.0866. The single currency slumped to a more than one-week low of 1.0801 on Thursday.
Elsewhere, oil fell again on Friday to end the session near seven-year lows as persistent concerns about a global supply glut pressured prices, while global equity markets tumbled on Friday, as investors remained cautious on the price of oil.
In the week ahead, trading volumes are expected to remain light due to the Christmas holiday and as many traders already closed books before the end of the year, reducing liquidity in the market and increasing the volatility.
The U.S. is to release key reports on gross domestic product, durable goods orders, home sales and jobless claims.
Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of these and other significant events likely to affect the markets. The guide skips Monday as there is no relevant data on this day.
Tuesday, December 22
The U.K. is to release data on public sector borrowing.
The U.S. is to release final data on third quarter economic growth, as well as a report on existing home sales.
New Zealand is to produce data on the trade balance.
Wednesday, December 23
The U.K. is to release quarterly data on the current account, as well as a final report on third quarter economic growth.
The U.S. is release a string of reports, including data on durable goods orders, personal spending, new homes sales, consumer sentiment and crude oil inventories.
Canada is to produce monthly data on economic activity and retail sales.
The Bank of Japan is to publish the minutes of its latest monetary policy meeting, giving investors insight into how officials view the economy and their policy options.
Thursday, December 24
Markets in Germany will remain closed in observance of Christmas Eve.
The U.S. is to produce weekly data on initial jobless claims.
Japan is to produce figures on household spending and inflation.
Friday, December 25
Markets in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the U.K., Switzerland, Canada and the U.S. will remain closed for the Christmas Day holiday.