USD/JPY consolidates ahead of BOJ meeting – OCBC

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

USD/JPY trades offered but lacks follow-through, as markets near full pricing of a 25bps BOJ hike on 19 December. Near-term support lies at 155.10–153.90, while any meaningful JPY recovery would require stronger guidance from the BOJ, fiscal prudence, and a softer USD. Pair was last seen around 155.98 levels, OCBC's FX analysts Frances Cheung and Christopher Wong note.

USD/JPY is likely to consolidate in the interim

"USD/JPY continued to trade with an offered tone but seems to lack follow-through to test much lower. To be fair, markets have already come close to fully pricing in a BOJ hike on 19 Dec MPC."

"Mild bearish momentum on daily chart intact while decline in RSI moderated. We may see some consolidation in the interim. Support at 155.10, 154.40 (76.4% fibo retracement of 2025 high to low), 153.90 (50 DMA). Resistance at 156(21 DMA), 157 and 158.87 (previous high in 2025)."

"We believe USD/JPY is going into BOJ meeting looking for clues about 2026 not just about Dec meeting outcome. And we reiterate that any meaningful recovery in JPY would require not just the BOJ to follow through with stronger guidance but also for policymakers to demonstrate fiscal prudence and for the USD to stay soft."

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

EUR/USD weakens below 1.1900, USD remains firm

EUR/USD has slipped back into its downtrend, drifting below the 1.1900 support as the US Dollar’s recovery keeps gathering traction. Indeed, the Greenback’s push higher gathered pace after President Trump named Kevin Warsh as Jerome Powell’s successor and US Producer Prices rose more than expected in December.

GBP/USD retreats further, threatens 1.3700

Selling pressure remains on the rise, dragging GBP/USD back towards three-day lows around 1.3720-1.3710 at the end of the week. Cable’s retracement reflects a firmer rebound in the Greenback as investors digest Trump’s announcement of the next Fed chair.

Gold remains offered just above $5,000

Gold is extending its pullback, managing to trim part of its strong losses and regain the $5,000 mark and beyond on Friday. The precious metal’s severe drop comes amid broad-based profit-taking across the commodity space, alongside a firmer US Dollar and mixed US Treasury yields.

Stellar deepens correction, slipping to 3-month low as risk-off mood persists

Stellar continues to trade in the red, slipping below $0.20 on Friday, a level not seen since mid-October. Bearish sentiment intensifies amid falling Open Interest and negative funding rates in the derivatives market. On the technical side, weakening momentum indicators support further correction in XLM.

Microsoft sell-off etches $400 billion hole in market, second highest on record

Microsoft's (MSFT) post-earnings cratering on Thursday sent other indices into pullback mode despite the narrow nature of its weakness.

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple deepen sell-off as bears take control of momentum

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple continued their corrections on Friday, posting weekly losses of nearly 6%, 3%, and 5%, respectively. BTC is nearing the November lows at $80,000, while ETH slips below $2,800 amid increasing downside pressure.