EUR/JPY steady near multi-year high as Eurozone Q3 GDP supports Euro

• EUR/JPY remains stable near 179.80 after hitting a multi-year high just under 180.00.
• The Japanese Yen stays under pressure, weighed by lingering uncertainty over the Bank of Japan's tightening path.
• Eurozone Gross Domestic Product growth confirmed at 0.2% in Q3, supporting sentiment around the Euro.

EUR/JPY trades around 179.80 on Friday, virtually unchanged on the day after reaching a new multi-year high just below the 180.00 level. The Japanese Yen (JPY) remains on the back foot, pressured by uncertainty over the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) tightening trajectory. 

Recent comments from Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who reiterated her preference for keeping interest rates low to support domestic economic activity, have increased doubts about a potential BoJ rate hike in December. These remarks come as other government officials highlight the risks tied to a weaker JPY. Economy Minister Minoru Kiuchi noted that excessive Japanese Yen weakness tends to push inflation higher through import costs, while Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama renewed her warning that she is monitoring currency moves with urgency.

This political backdrop maintains an ambiguous environment around the monetary policy, limiting the Japanese Yen's ability to recover despite more constructive comments from BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda, who said underlying inflation is gradually moving toward the central bank's 2% target.

In Europe, the Euro benefits from rising confidence that the European Central Bank (ECB) has likely ended its rate-cutting cycle. Friday's data reinforced this view as Employment rose by 0.1% QoQ in Q3, while Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the Eurozone came in at 0.2% in the third quarter, matching expectations. On an annual basis, growth reached 1.4%, slightly above consensus. These figures support the perception of a resilient Eurozone economy.