US Treasury Secretary Bessent Dares Traders to Bet Against Yen: "I Am the House Now"

Trading Random
3 hours ago

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent challenged traders to counter his efforts to strengthen Japan’s currency, touting that when he makes market calls nowadays he’s effectively doing so with inside information.

“Whenever people say, ‘Oh, well, Treasury Secretary is taking a risk,’ — well, it’s my dream, I have asymmetric information,” Bessent said at a Southern Methodist University event in Texas Tuesday.

Bessent, a former hedge fund executive, was reviewing occasions when he’s intervened in markets, including the joint purchases of yen he mounted with Japan’s government on July 31. While the yen initially jumped, gains ebbed in subsequent sessions, in part as traders highlighted the Treasury’s limited firepower to deploy in foreign-exchange purchases.

“I am the house now, so when we intervene with the Japanese yen, I have pretty good insight into what the Japanese, what the Bank of Japan is going to do, what Japanese policymakers are going to do,” Bessent said. “And you can bet against me if you want.”

The BOJ is leaning toward raising its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point on Sept. 18, Bloomberg reported last week — a move that may help the Japanese currency.

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Most Discussed

  1. 1
     
     
     
     
  2. 2
     
     
     
     
  3. 3
     
     
     
     
  4. 4
     
     
     
     
  5. 5
     
     
     
     
  6. 6
     
     
     
     
  7. 7
     
     
     
     
  8. 8
     
     
     
     
  9. 9
     
     
     
     
  10. 10