Last week, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda noted gradual improvement in the domestic economy. However, on Monday Japan revealed disappointing trade data for September. Data released by Japan’s ministry of finance showed a sharp fall in export sales as the stronger yen continued to hurt manufacturers. So Japan’s exports fell 6.9% in September from a year earlier. However, export sales contracted at a slower pace as the indicator tumbled 9.6% in August. Analysts had expected a worse fall of 10.4% in September. Meanwhile, imports fell 16.3% over the same period on a yearly basis to 5.470 trillion yen. Japan recorded a 489 billion yen surplus in September, much better than market consensus of a 372.9 billion yen proficit. Traders are changing their sentiment on the Japanese currency. Today, the US dollar managed to gain ground against the yen, though the greenback is trading under pressure. In the early Asian trade, the US dollar rebounded versus its Asian counterpart. Nevertheless, the downbeat statistics from Japan prevented a further rise of the dollar/yen pair. Now the pair is trading at 103.89. Currency strategists expect the pair to trade flat as the economic calendar lacks any data from the US today. Federal Open Market Committee official William Dudley is due to speak later today. Importantly, the US dollar has been keeping the momentum amid growing expectations of the funds rate hike and the upcoming presidential elections in the US.   https://www.instaforex.com/