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Dollar rises to around 159.00 yen as Jan-March GDP grows 2.1% annualized

Tue May 19, 2026 10:31 am JST Currency

The dollar-yen exchange rate in the Tokyo foreign exchange market stood at around 159.01 yen as of 10:00 a.m. on May 19, up nearly 10 sen from 5:00 p.m. the previous day. The euro traded at around 185.16 yen, up about 30 sen against the Japanese currency.

The dollar-yen pair traded at 158.80 yen around 8:30 a.m. before rising toward the 159.00 yen level by 10:00 a.m. Preliminary real gross domestic product (GDP) for the January-March quarter, released by the Cabinet Office earlier in the day, expanded at an annualized rate of 2.1%, beating market forecasts of a 1.7% expansion. While speculation mounts over a rate hike at the Bank of Japan's June monetary policy meeting, concerns over fiscal deterioration have also emerged on reports that the government is considering issuing deficit-covering bonds for a supplementary budget. Amid these developments, the dollar-yen pair remained firm around the 159 yen line.

Against the dollar, the euro traded at around 1.1643 dollars, up slightly more than 0.0010 dollars.

Source: MINKABU PRESS

*Translated by generative AI. Click here for the original article.

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