USD/JPY jumps to fresh daily top, further beyond mid-115.00s ahead of Powell

A combination of factors assisted USD/JPY to regain positive traction on Tuesday.
A positive risk tone undermined the safe-haven JPY and extended some support.
Fed rate hike bets acted as a tailwind for the USD and also provided a modest lift.

Haresh Menghani FXStreet

The USD/JPY pair built on its steady intraday positive move and climbed to a fresh daily high, around the 115.65 region during the early North American session.

Having defended the key 115.00 psychological mark, the USD/JPY pair caught some fresh bids on Tuesday and has now reversed the previous day's losses to a one-week low. This marked the first day of a positive move in five sessions and was sponsored by a combination of supporting factors.

A generally positive tone around the equity markets undermined the safe-haven Japanese yen and acted as a tailwind for the USD/JPY pair. On the other hand, the prospects for a faster policy tightening by the Fed extended some support to the US dollar, which provided an additional lift to the pair.

It is worth mentioning that the money markets have fully priced in the possibility of an eventual Fed lift-off in March. The market bets were reinforced by comments from Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic, saying that March would be a reasonable time for the first-rate increase.

Bostic added that the runoff of the balance sheet could begin soon after and expects three rate hikes in 2022, with risks pointing towards a fourth on the possibility of higher inflation. Hence, the focus will remain on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee.

Investors will closely scrutinize Powell's remarks for clues about the likely timing and the pace of policy normalisation. Apart from this, Wednesday's release of the US consumer inflation figures will play a key role in influencing the USD and provide a fresh directional impetus to the USD/JPY pair.

Meanwhile, the fundamental backdrop seems tilted in favour of bullish traders and suggests that the recent corrective slide from a five-year high touched last week has run its course. Hence, some follow-through strength, towards reclaiming the 116.00 mark, remains a distinct possibility.

Technical levels to watch

USD/JPY

Overview
Today last price	115.59
Today Daily Change	0.34
Today Daily Change %	0.30
Today daily open	115.25

Trends
Daily SMA20	114.74
Daily SMA50	114.19
Daily SMA100	112.83
Daily SMA200	111.24

Levels
Previous Daily High	115.85
Previous Daily Low	115.04
Previous Weekly High	116.35
Previous Weekly Low	114.95
Previous Monthly High	115.21
Previous Monthly Low	112.56
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%	115.35
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%	115.54
Daily Pivot Point S1	114.91
Daily Pivot Point S2	114.57
Daily Pivot Point S3	114.1
Daily Pivot Point R1	115.72
Daily Pivot Point R2	116.19
Daily Pivot Point R3	116.53

Author

Haresh Menghani

FXStreet

Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.

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