Hedge funds have sharply reduced their bullish yen positions after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates but offered few indications that further tightening would come quickly, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The report cites Commodity Futures Trading Commission data as showing that leveraged funds held a net long position equivalent to about JPY55.9bn ($355m) in yen in the week to 22 September. That represented a reduction of almost 80% from the previous week, when hedge funds had shifted to a net bullish yen position for the first time since mid-2025.

The latest positioning data shows leveraged funds cutting their net yen position by 15,598 contracts to 4,472. Asset managers also reduced their yen exposure, cutting their net long position by 12,323 contracts to 42,498.

The repositioning followed the BOJ’s 17 September decision to raise interest rates as expected. The central bank’s accompanying signals were viewed by markets as offering limited evidence of an imminent acceleration in monetary tightening, while the interest-rate differential between Japan and the US remains substantial.

The yen weakened following the BOJ decision, with the currency reaching around JP157.39 to the dollar by the 22 September CFTC reporting date, compared with JPY155.11 a week earlier.

The currency subsequently rebounded on 25 September, gaining as much as 1.2% to JPY156.94 per dollar after Japanese officials raised concerns about the impact of a weak yen during discussions with US counterparts.