Deutsche Bank analyst George Saravelos said in a report that if the Fed shifts
policy from rate hikes to balance-sheet reduction (QT) to tighten, the dollar
could weaken. He pointed to Japan: despite slow BOJ rate hikes, the central bank
withdrew liquidity via QT at record speed while the yen remained near historic
lows. Saravelos warned QT in the US could conflict with the Trump
administration’s desire to keep long-term Treasury yields low. He added BOJ
independence remains under market scrutiny; Japan’s finance minister Katayama
has discussed using domestic savings to support the Japanese bond market.