Yen Slides After BoJ Kuroda's Comments

The Japanese yen slipped against its most major counterparts in the European session on Thursday, after the Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda offered an upbeat view on Japanese economy and continued to back low rate strategy to attain inflation goal.

"Japan's economy is expected to continue expanding moderately," Kuroda said at meeting with regional branch managers.

Short- and long-term interest rates will be kept at their current "very low" levels for a longer period, he said, adding that the central bank would only make necessary policy adjustments to sustain the economy's momentum to achieve the price target.

European shares were mixed amid a flurry of earnings and as the EU leaders decided to take more time to clinch a divorce deal at a crunch summit in Brussels.

Investors digested developments over Brexit talks, as Prime Minister Theresa May assured that the U.K. would work "intensively over the next days and weeks" to get a deal on separation.

Data from the Ministry of Finance showed that Japan posted a merchandise trade surplus of 139.6 billion yen in September.

That exceeded expectations for a deficit of 45.1 billion yen following the 444.6 billion yen shortfall in August.

Exports were down 1.2 percent on year, while imports advanced 7.0 percent.

The yen showed mixed trading against its major counterparts in the Asian session. While it fell against the greenback, it climbed against the euro, the franc and the pound.

The yen retreated to 147.75 against the pound and 113.46 against the franc, from its early highs of 147.09 and 112.93, respectively. On the downside, 150.00 and 115.00 are likely seen as the next support levels for the yen against the pound and the franc, respectively.

Having climbed to more than a 5-week high of 129.12 against the euro at 2:15 am ET, the yen reversed direction and eased to 129.73. The yen is likely to find support around the 131.00 level.

Data from Destatis showed that Germany's wholesale prices rose at a slower pace in September.

Wholesale price inflation slowed to 3.5 percent from 3.8 percent in August.

The yen declined to an 8-day low of 80.45 versus the aussie, after rising to 80.00 at 7:00 pm ET. The yen is seen finding support around the 82.00 level.

The yen reversed from an early 2-day high of 73.56 against the kiwi, falling to 73.99. If the yen slides further, 82.00 is likely seen as its next support level.

On the flip side, the yen held steady at 112.46 against the greenback, after having recovered from an 8-day low of 112.73 hit at 8:45 pm ET. At yesterday's close, the pair was worth 112.64.

The yen advanced to a 2-day high of 86.14 against the loonie from yesterday's closing value of 86.50. The next possible resistance for the yen is seen around the 85.00 region.

Looking ahead, U.S. weekly jobless claims for the week ended October 6 and leading index for September are scheduled for release in the New York session.

At 12:15 pm ET, Federal Reserve Governor Randal Quarles speaks about the economic outlook at the Economic Club of New York luncheon.