Home USD/JPY Forecast May 4-8

USD/JPY  gained about 100 points last week and closed just above the 120 line. The upcoming week  is very quiet, with just two  events.  Here is an outlook on the major events moving the yen and an updated technical analysis for USD/JPY.

US numbers looked weak, as Consumer Confidence and Manufacturing PMI reports missed expectations. In Japan, inflation indicators were within expectations.

[do action=”autoupdate” tag=”USDJPYUpdate”/]

USD/JPY graph with support and resistance lines on it:

USD_JPY_Forecast.May 4-8

  1. Monetary Base: Wednesday, 23:50. The indicator has been on a downward trend, and dipped to 35.2% in March, very close to the estimate. However, this was the smallest gain we’ve seen since May 2013. The  downward move is expected to continue in the April report, with an  estimate  of 34.3%.
  2. Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes: Thursday, 23:50. The minutes provide details of the BOJ’s policy meeting last week. There were no surprises at the meeting, as policymakers   maintained the Bank’s monetary policy stance.

* All times are GMT

USD/JPY Technical Analysis

USD/JPY started the week at  118.92 and  dropped to a low of 118.39. The pair then reversed directions and climbed to a high of 120.29, testing resistance at 119.88 (discussed last week). The pair closed the week at 120.03.

Live chart of USD/JPY: [do action=”tradingviews” pair=”USDJPY” interval=”60″/]

Technical lines from top to bottom:

We  start with resistance at 124.16. This line marked the start of a yen rally in June 2007, which saw USD/JPY drop to the 96 level.

122.19 is the next resistance line.

121.39 remains a strong resistance line. It has held firm since mid-March.

119.88 continues  to be  busy in April. The line  switched to  a resistance  role  in April and was tested last week as USD/JPY continues to trade close to the 120 level.

118.68 was tested in support again  last week. It is currently a  strong  line as the pair trades at the 120 level. The next support line is 117.94.

116.82 has remained intact since mid-January.

115.85 is the  final support  level  for now.

I  am  bullish  on USD/JPY

Japanese markets will be closed for three straight days, so the pair’s movement this week will be heavily dependent on US numbers.  The yen has not been able to take advantage of  recent weak US releases, as market sentiment remains positive about the yen. The Fed is likely to raise rates later in the year, and the divergence  in monetary stance  will likely continue weighing on the yen.

In our latest podcast we ask:  Did the market get it right on the Fed’s hike? And cover the big upcoming events.

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Kenny Fisher

Kenny Fisher

Kenny Fisher - Senior Writer A native of Toronto, Canada, Kenneth worked for seven years in the marketing and trading departments at Bendix, a foreign exchange company in Toronto. Kenneth is also a lawyer, and has extensive experience as an editor and writer.