Will Japan’s yen, which has surged to post-World War II highs against the U.S. dollar while the country has battled natural disaster, stagnant growth and mounting debt, hang onto its fortress qualities this year? It’s a question that has caused a fair amount of head-scratching among analysts. Japan’s economic reality, including ultralow interest rates and a public debt-to-GDP ratio in excess of 200%, are the kind of fundamentals that have battered other currencies. “The Japanese yen is a mysterious currency, which has a lot of very unique features,” said Osamu Takashima, a currency strategist at Citi FX. But the ... (full story)