Secret bank trades can move a nation's entire currency
Central bankers can shift the value of a global currency by billions in minutes, using stealth tactics and offshore accounts to bypass the world's fastest traders.
When a nation's currency loses its footing, the Bank of Japan can deploy a trillion-dollar war chest to force a market correction in less time than it takes to eat lunch. In a single afternoon in April, the bank flooded the foreign exchange market with dollars to buy up yen, causing the currency's value to spike by three percent almost instantly. These interventions are timed for moments of thin liquidity, such as the quiet gap between Asian and European trading hours, to ensure that every billion spent has the maximum possible impact on price.
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