exchangerate.devUseful for a ledger. Silent about the crossing time. An app that says "latest" needs the observation's source and timestamp too.
- The ECB-derived cross rose from 162.74 to 163.07 between July 21 and July 22, a 0.33-yen or 0.20% change.
- USD/JPY is derived by dividing EUR/JPY by EUR/USD: 186.03 / 1.1408 = 163.07 on July 22.
- Nothing in the daily series identifies the crossing time or the path around 163.
- Keep
source,market_session, anddata_updated_atbeside the rate whenever freshness matters.
Update (Aug 6, 2026): USD/JPY later touched 163.74 on July 30, then fell as far as 155.32 after Japan and the US intervened jointly, the first coordinated action since 2011. The daily series missed those extremes too: the joint US-Japan yen intervention, in the data.
Two rows and a blank in the middle
The July 21 and July 22 ECB points bracket the move above 163. A daily chart compresses the whole move into the segment between those points, with no observation showing how it unfolded. The missing stretch could contain one clean crossing, several crossings, or hours spent on either side.
| Observation | USD/JPY | What it records |
|---|---|---|
| July 21 ECB-derived cross | 162.74 | Below 163 at the daily reference point |
| July 22 ECB-derived cross | 163.07 | Above 163 at the next reference point |
A ledger may only need one reference point per day. A threshold alert needs an observation on the far side of 163 before it can fire. Daily rows cannot supply that timing after the fact.
The cross is plain division
The ECB quotes its reference rates against the euro. USD/JPY is therefore a cross: divide EUR/JPY by EUR/USD. The 90-day ECB history supplies the July 21 values.
| Date | ECB components | Derived USD/JPY |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-21 | EUR/USD 1.1418; EUR/JPY 185.82 | 185.82 / 1.1418 = 162.74 |
| 2026-07-22 | EUR/USD 1.1408; EUR/JPY 186.03 | 186.03 / 1.1408 = 163.07 |
The ECB says its rates are based on a daily concertation around 14:10 CET and are usually published around 16:00 CET on working days. It also says they are for information purposes and discourages their use for transactions. A daily API that mirrors this series inherits that cadence.
"Latest" needs a timestamp
For a current application, keep the rate with source, market_session, and data_updated_at. source says whether the observation is intraday or daily-reference data. data_updated_at says when the number itself was written. Together, those fields stop "latest" from being mistaken for "right now." The live USD/JPY page shows the current indicative observation, and reading source and market_session explains the metadata. exchangerate.dev rates are not for settlement.