GBP/JPY continues slow grind higher despite off-kilter UK labor figures, tests 197.00

GBP/JPY marches higher as markets eat away at “Yentervention” territory.
UK labor figures worsened, but not as badly as expected.
Japanese GDP growth due on Thursday.

Joshua Gibson FXStreet

GBP/JPY rose further on Tuesday, clipping into the 197.00 handle as the broader FX market continues to sell the Japanese Yen (JPY) across the board. UK labor figures wobbled on Tuesday, but investors skirted the worst of it after unemployment benefits claims rose less than expected and wages grew at a healthy pace.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is broadly believed to have stepped into global markets on two separate occasions in recent weeks after the Japanese central bank’s activities reports revealed the BoJ overspent on miscellaneous financial operations by around nine billion Yen. However, the Yen’s aggressive recovery is proving to be short-lived. The GBP/JPY ground its way back to the 197.00 handle, recovering from the recent low near 191.50.

The UK’s ILO Unemployment Rate ticked higher to 4.3% over the three months ended March, matching market forecasts and rising from the previous period’s 4.2%. Average UK Earnings Including Bonuses rose 5.7% for the three-month period ending in March compared to the same time last year. Net employment change in the UK for the quarter ended in March fell, shedding -177K jobs compared to the previous period’s -157K, knocking the GBP briefly back.

Markets have broadly recovered on Tuesday, and Yen pairs will be looking ahead to early Thursday’s Japanese Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the first quarter. Japanese Q1 GDP is expected to contract -0.4% versus the previous quarter’s slim growth of 0.1%.

GBP/JPY technical outlook

The Guppy continues to trade north of the 200-hour Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 194.95 as the Sterling accelerates gains against the Yen. The pair recovered back into the 1.97.00 handle for the first time since the start of the month, but the pair remains down 1.8% from the multi-decade peak reached at 200.60 in late April.

GBP/JPY hourly chart

GBP/JPY daily chart

GBP/JPY

Overview
Today last price	196.98
Today Daily Change	0.79
Today Daily Change %	0.40
Today daily open	196.19

Trends
Daily SMA20	193.88
Daily SMA50	192.08
Daily SMA100	189.43
Daily SMA200	186.59

Levels
Previous Daily High	196.28
Previous Daily Low	194.74
Previous Weekly High	195.34
Previous Weekly Low	191.73
Previous Monthly High	200.59
Previous Monthly Low	190
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%	195.69
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%	195.33
Daily Pivot Point S1	195.19
Daily Pivot Point S2	194.2
Daily Pivot Point S3	193.66
Daily Pivot Point R1	196.73
Daily Pivot Point R2	197.28
Daily Pivot Point R3	198.27

Author

Joshua Gibson

FXStreet

Joshua joins the FXStreet team as an Economics and Finance double major from Vancouver Island University with twelve years' experience as an independent trader focusing on technical analysis.

GBP/USD loses momentum, flirts with 1.3200

GBP/USD is struggling to maintain its positive bias on Thursday, retreating toward the 1.3200 region in response to the pick in the buying interest around the Greenback. That said, Cable remains under scrutiny as cautious market sentiment keeps investors focused on the US-Iran conflict and political effervescence in the UK.

EUR/USD trims gains, challenges 1.1400

EUR/USD now gives away part of its earlier advance, receding toward the 1.1400 contention zone on Thursday. Meanwhile, the pair’s recovery comes amid extra losses in the US Dollar, at the time when while investors continue to monitor developments in the Middle East and sentiment surrounding global technology stocks.

Gold remains bid and close to $4,100

Gold accelerates its recovery and approaches the key $4,000 mark per troy ounce at the end of the week, adding to Thursday’s advance. However, expectations for a hawkish Fed remain steady and keep the yellow metal’s potential upside contained.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin at $60,000, Ethereum at $1,500, and XRP at $1 face a make-or-break test

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) are trading in the red on Friday after three consecutive days of losses, testing their respective make-or-break support levels.

Week ahead – NFP report to challenge Dollar strength and the hawkish Fed

Dollar strength dominates markets, as the hawkish Fed overshadows geopolitics and lower oil prices. NFP week could drive September Fed hike expectations and boost market volatility. The euro lacks fresh bullish catalysts, all eyes on the preliminary inflation report and the ECB Forum.

Regime change: Inside Kevin Warsh's first move to make the Fed unreadable on purpose

The rate did not move. That was the least interesting thing about Kevin Warsh's first meeting in charge of the Fed. The FOMC held its benchmark at 3.50%-3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, exactly as priced, and then the new chair used his first press conference to dismantle the machinery the market has leaned on for a decade.