AUD/JPY remains below 104.00 after mixed economic data from China

• AUD/JPY inches lower after the release of mixed Chinese data on Friday.
• China’s Retail Sales rose for the successive 15th month but the softest gain in this sequence.
• Former BOJ chief economist Toshitaka Sekine suggested the central bank could raise the rate three times in 2024.

AUD/JPY hovers around 103.70 during the European trading hours on Friday. The Australian Dollar (AUD) continues to experience a decline, driven by recent mixed economic data from China. Any economic change in the Chinese economy could catalyze the Australian market as both nations are close trade partners.

China's Retail Sales (YoY) increased 2.3% in April, down from March's 3.1% and the expected 3.8%. This marks the 15th consecutive month of growth in retail activity but represents the slowest uptick in this trend. Meanwhile, Industrial Production improved 6.7% YoY, surpassing the anticipated 5.5% and the previous recording of 4.5%.

The Aussie Dollar had already been under pressure after Australia's employment figures released on Thursday presented a mixed picture. Australia’s Wage Price Index (QoQ) increased by 0.8% in the first quarter, falling short of the market's forecast of a 0.9% rise. This quarter's increase is the smallest since late 2022. Additionally, annual pay growth slowed slightly to 4.1%, down from the previous 4.2%, and below market expectations.

The Japanese Yen (JPY) encountered renewed pressure as the Bank of Japan (BoJ) maintained its bond-buying amounts on Friday from the previous operation, opting against a surprise cut to debt purchasing earlier in the week. Traders speculate that the BoJ might reduce bond buying at the June policy meeting. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda also mentioned that there are no immediate plans to sell the central bank’s ETF holdings.

In an interview with Bloomberg, former BOJ chief economist Toshitaka Sekine suggested that the Bank of Japan could raise its benchmark interest rate up to three more times this year. Sekine proposed that the next move could potentially occur as early as June, given the significant room available to adjust its current "excessively" easy settings.