GBP/JPY recovers to near 209.30 even as Japan’s GDP returns to growth

Japanese Yen Price Today

The table below shows the percentage change of Japanese Yen (JPY) against listed major currencies today. Japanese Yen was the weakest against the Australian Dollar.

	USD	EUR	GBP	JPY	CAD	AUD	NZD	CHF
USD		0.10%	0.08%	0.41%	-0.05%	-0.17%	0.05%	0.13%
EUR	-0.10%		-0.02%	0.33%	-0.15%	-0.27%	-0.05%	0.02%
GBP	-0.08%	0.02%		0.33%	-0.13%	-0.25%	-0.03%	0.04%
JPY	-0.41%	-0.33%	-0.33%		-0.46%	-0.58%	-0.36%	-0.28%
CAD	0.05%	0.15%	0.13%	0.46%		-0.11%	0.11%	0.18%
AUD	0.17%	0.27%	0.25%	0.58%	0.11%		0.22%	0.29%
NZD	-0.05%	0.05%	0.03%	0.36%	-0.11%	-0.22%		0.07%
CHF	-0.13%	-0.02%	-0.04%	0.28%	-0.18%	-0.29%	-0.07%

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Japanese Yen from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent JPY (base)/USD (quote).

Earlier in the day, the Japanese Cabinet Office reported that the economy grew by 0.1% after contracting 0.7% in the third quarter of 2025. On an annualized basis, the GDP expanded 0.2% following a 2.6% decline.

Theoretically, improving economic prospects boost the appeal of the domestic currency.

Last week, the JPY outperformed after the landslide victory of Prime Minister (PM) Sanae Takaichi’s party in the lower house of the parliament, resulting in an increase in Takaichi’s power to pass legislative bills with fewer difficulties.

Meanwhile, the Pound Sterling (GBP) trades broadly stable ahead of the United Kingdom (UK) labor market data release for three months ending December, which is scheduled for Tuesday. Investors will pay close attention to the UK employment data to get fresh cues on the Bank of England’s (BoE) monetary policy outlook.

According to estimates, the UK ILO Unemployment Rate remained steady at 5.1%. Average Earnings Including Bonuses, a key measure of wage growth, is estimated to have grown at a moderate pace of 4.6% Year-on-Year (YoY).

Economic Indicator

Gross Domestic Product (QoQ)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP), released by Japan’s Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis, is a measure of the total value of all goods and services produced in Japan during a given period. The GDP is considered as the main measure of Japan’s economic activity. The QoQ reading compares economic activity in the reference quarter to the previous quarter. Generally, a high reading is seen as bullish for the Japanese Yen (JPY), while a low reading is seen as bearish.