• USD/JPY remained better bid overnight, trading up to 160.79 EBS

• Fed's hawkish hold and strong US retail sales helped

• Seems Fed dot plots now almost assuring market of a rate hike ahead

• USD bid across the board, USD/JPY upside limited on intervention risk

• 161.00 the new line the sand for Japan's Finance Ministry?

• With large stops 161.00+, massive option KOs from 162.00, no doubt?

• BOJ Uchida's presser Tuesday also re-evaluated, take more hawkish?

• Whatever the case, USD/JPY likely to remain in 160 limbo barring FX action

• USD/JPY 160.54-64 so far in Asia, demand still on dips

• Large Japanese importers buys to continue at almost every Tokyo fix

• Offshore investors buying Japan equities to continue to hedge by yen sales

• Nikkei to fresh record high after TSE open despite Wall Street plunges

• Option expiries today to help contain spot action

• 160.00-50 total $4.2 bln, massive at 160.00, 160.50, 161.00-10 $2.3 bln

• Crude oil prices up overnight despite US-Iran deal, doubts peace to last?

• Related comments , ,

• Also , on BOJ , on US retail sales

• US markets , , ,

• On Fed , , ,

• On US-Iran , for more click on [FXBUZ]

USD/JPY:


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NYMEX crude oil futures:

(Haruya Ida is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)