|

USD/JPY Forecast: Indecisive market, focus on stocks

  • The USD/JPY weekly chart shows indecision in the marketplace.
  • Trump torpedoed G7 effort to ease tensions, still, global stocks may get a lift from the uptick in Chinese PPI.
  • The pair could revisit 110.00 is stocks pick up a bid.

The battle is on between the USD/JPY bulls and bears, the back-to-back doji candles on the weekly chart shows.

Weekly chart

The long upper shadow of the last week's doji candle indicates the bulls fought to take the pair higher to and lost as the sellers pushed the price down again. Meanwhile, the previous week's long-tailed candle highlighted bear failure.

So, last week's high of 110.27 and the previous week's low of 108.11 will likely act as a key resistance and support levels.

The market does appear indecisive in 110.27-108.11 range. However, when viewed against the backdrop of the bearish outside-week candle, the bears appear to be in control, meaning the pair will likely find acceptance below 108.11 and extend losses to 107.32 (September 2017 low).

The G7 fallout does support the bear case. Risk assets (stocks) could remain on the defensive as G7 concluded in a deadlock on trade issues. Thus, JPY could pick up a safe haven bid.

However, China reported a better-than-expected the producer price index (PPI) over the weekend and that could put a bid under the stock markets. In this case, USD/JPY may revisit 110.00 (psychological hurdle) - 110.18 (200-day moving average).

If the pair manages to cross the 200-day MA, then the long-term descending trendline hurdle (drawn from August 2015 high and December 2015) could be put to test. Currently, the trendline resistance is located at 111.25.

A weekly close above that level would signal a bullish breakout (long-term bearish-to-bullish trend change).

  

Author

Omkar Godbole

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

More from Omkar Godbole
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD rebounds after falling toward 1.1700

EUR/USD gains traction and trades above 1.1730 in the American session, looking to end the week virtually unchanged. The bullish opening in Wall Street makes it difficult for the US Dollar to preserve its recovery momentum and helps the pair rebound heading into the weekend.

GBP/USD steadies below 1.3400 as traders assess BoE policy outlook

Following Thursday's volatile session, GBP/USD moves sideways below 1.3400 on Friday. Investors reassess the Bank of England's policy oıtlook after the MPC decided to cut the interest rate by 25 bps by a slim margin. Meanwhile, the improving risk mood helps the pair hold its ground.

Gold stays below $4,350, looks to post small weekly gains

Gold struggles to gather recovery momentum and stays below $4,350 in the second half of the day on Friday, as the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield edges higher. Nevertheless, the precious metal remains on track to end the week with modest gains as markets gear up for the holiday season.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP rebound amid bearish market conditions

Bitcoin (BTC) is edging higher, trading above $88,000 at the time of writing on Monday. Altcoins, including Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), are following in BTC’s footsteps, experiencing relief rebounds following a volatile week.

How much can one month of soft inflation change the Fed’s mind?

One month of softer inflation data is rarely enough to shift Federal Reserve policy on its own, but in a market highly sensitive to every data point, even a single reading can reshape expectations. November’s inflation report offered a welcome sign of cooling price pressures. 

XRP rebounds amid ETF inflows and declining retail demand demand

XRP rebounds as bulls target a short-term breakout above $2.00 on Friday. XRP ETFs record the highest inflow since December 8, signaling growing institutional appetite.