The yen surged to an 18-month peak on Friday as investors wagered the Bank of Japan might be done adding fresh stimulus to the economy, hurting prospects for Japanese exporters with a move that rippled through share markets across the Asian region. Perhaps taking advantage of Japan's absence for a holiday, speculators smashed through the yen's previous top at 107.63 per dollar and drove the currency as far as 107.075. It had been at 111.67 before Thursday's decision by the BoJ not to ease policy further, even though prior media reports had set the market up for more action.
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Yen spikes to 18-month peak, Amazon softens Apple blow