JPY weakness to continue in 1H18 - BAML

Sandeep Kanihama FXStreet Contributor

2017 has been a year of USD/JPY stability as the pair has traded mostly in the range of 110-115 and the high-low gap was merely 11.28 points, points out the research team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Key Quotes

“In the goldilocks environment, most cross-yen pairs have exhibited strength with only NZD, CHF, and USD underperforming JPY within G10. In 1H18, we believe the yen’s fundamental weakness will be maintained, but will manifest in USD/JPY rather than in cross-yen. In 2H18, the BoJ policy normalization we expect is likely to lead to a correction in USD/JPY and higher volatility.”

Author

Sandeep Kanihama

FXStreet Contributor

Sandeep Kanihama is an FX Editor and Analyst with FXstreet having principally focus area on Asia and European markets with commodity, currency and equities coverage. He is stationed in the Indian capital city of Delhi.

EUR/USD clings to strong gains above 1.1850 on USD weakness

EUR/USD preserves its bullish momentum to start the week and trades above 1.1850. The US Dollar struggles to find demand ahead of Wednesday's critical January employment report and helps the pair continue to push higher.

GBP/USD hovers near 1.3600 as UK government crisis weighs on Pound Sterling

GBP/USD moves sideways after registering modest gains in the previous session, trading around 1.3610 during the European hours on Monday. The pair could come under pressure as the Pound Sterling may weaken amid a fresh government crisis in the United Kingdom.

Gold holds steady above $5,000

Gold builds on the gains it posted to end the previous week and holds steady above $5,000 on Monday. Data released over the weekend showed that the People's Bank of China extended its Gold buying spree for a 15th month in January. Moreover, dovish US Fed expectations and concerns about the central bank's independence drag the US Dollar lower for the second straight day, providing an additional boost to the non-yielding yellow metal.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin steadies around $70,000, Ethereum and XRP remain under pressure

Bitcoin hovers around $70,000, up near 15% from last week's low of $60,000 despite low retail demand. Ethereum delicately holds $2,000 support as weak technicals weigh amid declining futures Open Interest. XRP seeks support above $1.40 after facing rejection at $1.54 during the previous week's sharp rebound.

Japanese PM Takaichi nabs unprecedented victory – US data eyed this week

I do not think I would be exaggerating to say that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s snap general election gamble paid off over the weekend – and then some. This secured the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) an unprecedented mandate just three months into her tenure.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate after massive sell-off

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices consolidated on Monday after correcting by nearly 9%, 8%, and 10% in the previous week, respectively. BTC is hovering around $70,000, while ETH and XRP are facing rejection at key levels. Traders should be cautious: despite recent stabilization, upside recovery for these top three cryptocurrencies is capped as the broader trend remains bearish.