Dollar/yen reversed directions last week, has the yen posted its first winning week since January. The BoJ will be in the spotlight this week, and investors will be looking for hints of any changes in monetary policy. In the U.S., the key events are retail sales and consumer inflation reports.
USD/JPY fundamental movers
Japanese GDP rebounded in Q4, posting a gain of 0.5%. This follows a decline of 0.6% in the third quarter. The yen gained ground on Friday, after the U.S. posted stunningly low nonfarm payrolls in February. The score of just 20,000 new jobs was nowhere near the estimate of 180 thousand.
See all the main events in the Forex Weekly Outlook
Key news updates for USD/JPY
Updates:
USD/JPY Technical Analysis
115.55 was a high point in the first half of 2017 and remains an upside target. 114.60 was the high point in early October and has held in resistance since then.
114.25 was the high point in November. 114 is a round number and was a stepping stone on the way down. Close by, 113.80 was a resistance line in November.
113.15 was a swing high back in July. 112.25 provided support in early December and it defends the 112 level.
112.73 was an important resistance line in October.
112.25 provided support in early December and it defends the 112 level.
111.65 was a swing low in October, Close by, 111.40 was another swing low in October.
111.15 (mentioned last week) held in support throughout the week, but the pair broke through on Friday.
Close by, 109.35 was a cushion in mid-July.
108.70 was a cushion early in the summer and 108.10 a swing low in late May.
USD/JPY Daily Chart
USD/JPY Sentiment
I am bearish on USD/JPY
With risk sentiment growing over a possible U.S-China detente, the safe-haven yen could continue to have trouble attracting investors. The BoJ is plodding along and is unlikely to make any changes to interest rate levels. which are in negative territory. As well, the slowdown in China continues to weigh on the Japanese economy, as China is Japan’s most important trading partner.
Further reading:
- EUR/USD forecast – for everything related to the euro.
- GBP/USD forecast – Pound/dollar projections
- AUD/USD forecast – analysis for the Aussie dollar.
- USD/CAD forecast – Canadian dollar predictions
Safe trading!