Japan Inflation Expectations Point to Risk of More Yen Weakness

A customer pays a cashier at a supermarket in Tokyo, Japan.

Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg

Bets on rising consumer prices in Japan are keeping a lid on bond yields when adjusted for inflation, in turn reducing their ability to support the yen.

One important yardstick of market expectations for future price gains — the 10-year breakeven inflation rate — this week surged to the highest in records stretching back to 2004.