The correlation between American Indices and the US Dollar is so powerful that some investors see Dow Jones Industrial as a USD market sentiment indicator.
That relationship can be explained, and here is how.
Explanation:
When investors want to buy US stocks they tend to borrow money in low-interest rate currencies, such is the Japanese Yen. The Japanese Yen and the Swiss Franc are perfect for that job. So let's see closer an example of this transaction:
(1) The investors feel bullish about the market so they borrow money in order to buy stocks. They borrow money in Japanese Yen, as Yen offers traditionally very low-interest rates. After they borrow in Yen they change that money to US Dollars in order to buy US stocks. Therefore, they buy US Dollars today and repay that money in Japanese Yen in the future. That transaction is pushing USDJPY higher.
(2) The investors now feel bearish about the market so they want to sell stocks. They are selling the stocks they bought before in US Dollars and pay back the money they have borrowed in Japanese Yen. Therefore, they exchange US Dollars to pay back Yen. That transaction is pushing USDJPY lower.
Note that as financial arbitrage gets involved, the above process is accelerated and happens very quickly. Hence, arbitrage creates a direct correlation between USDJPY and American stock
That relationship can be explained, and here is how.
Explanation:
When investors want to buy US stocks they tend to borrow money in low-interest rate currencies, such is the Japanese Yen. The Japanese Yen and the Swiss Franc are perfect for that job. So let's see closer an example of this transaction:
(1) The investors feel bullish about the market so they borrow money in order to buy stocks. They borrow money in Japanese Yen, as Yen offers traditionally very low-interest rates. After they borrow in Yen they change that money to US Dollars in order to buy US stocks. Therefore, they buy US Dollars today and repay that money in Japanese Yen in the future. That transaction is pushing USDJPY higher.
(2) The investors now feel bearish about the market so they want to sell stocks. They are selling the stocks they bought before in US Dollars and pay back the money they have borrowed in Japanese Yen. Therefore, they exchange US Dollars to pay back Yen. That transaction is pushing USDJPY lower.
Note that as financial arbitrage gets involved, the above process is accelerated and happens very quickly. Hence, arbitrage creates a direct correlation between USDJPY and American stock