円安加速、１５７円台　５カ月ぶり、日銀利上げ先送り観測

　１９日の外国為替市場で円安が加速した。円相場は１ドル＝１５７円台に急落し、約５カ月ぶりの水準に低下した。日銀の植田和男総裁が同日の記者会見で、「賃金動向についてもう少し情報が必要」などと発言。来年１月の金融政策決定会合でも追加利上げが見送られるとの観測が強まり、日米金利差を意識した円売り・ドル買いが進んだ。
　植田総裁が会見で、来年の春闘の動向を見極めたい意向を示すと、円売りの動きが広がった。米連邦準備制度理事会（ＦＲＢ）は１８日、利下げペースが鈍化するとの見通しを公表した。一方、日銀は１９日の決定会合で、追加利上げの見送りを決定。会見での植田総裁の発言により、日米金融当局のスタンスの違いが鮮明になり、円売りが膨らんだ形だ。（2024/12/19-19:38）

The yen plunged against the dollar and other major currencies in Tokyo trading on Thursday as the Bank of Japan signaled a dovish policy stance.
   At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at 156.48-48 yen, up from 153.57-59 yen at the same time Wednesday. The euro was at 1.0394-0395 dollars, down from 1.0496-0497 dollars, and at 162.63-68 yen, up from 161.20-21 yen.
   The dollar topped 155 yen after the BOJ said shortly before noon that it had decided to keep interest rates unchanged at a two-day policy meeting that ended earlier in the day.
   The greenback later surpassed 156 yen as the Japanese currency came under further selling after BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda told a press conference that there is great uncertainty about the next U.S. administration's policies, sounding cautious about rate hikes.
   "There was no sign of a January rate hike (at the press conference), so speculation grew that the BOJ could again skip a rate hike in January," an official at a Japanese bank said.