|

USD/JPY: Mildly offered towards 104.00 amid fresh risk-off, Japan’s stimulus extension

  • USD/JPY stays near the intraday low, drops for the fourth-day in a row.
  • Japan government extends compensation scheme for covid-hit firms to February.
  • UK government rushes for AstraZeneca’s vaccine approval, Trump announced vaccine delivery.
  • China to impose anti-dumping duties on Aussie wine, Sino-American and US-Tehran tension also weigh risks.

USD/JPY drops to 104.10, down 0.14% intraday, during the Asian session on Friday. The pair recently refreshed the intraday low amid challenges to the previous risk-on mood as well as the Japanese government’s announcement concerning the coronavirus (COVID) relief stimulus.

Yoshihide Suga-led government recently said, per Reuters, that it will extend until February the compensation scheme for covid-hit firms that retain jobs. The stated aid package was to expire in December previously.

Earlier in the day, Japan’s Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) details for November couldn’t entertain the USD/JPY traders even with downbeat figures.

Talking about the risks, the UK Government pushes the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to assess Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine for a temporary supply even as the drug manufacturer’s latest announcement, on Thursday, stated that they’re holding one more trial amid some production issues over the less-dosage vaccine.

Also on the positive side could be the news, shared by US President Donald Trump, that the American will receive covid vaccine starting from next week.

It should be noted that China’s hint of additional trade-punitive measures over Australia joins that Washington-Beijing tension over trade and political issues to weigh the risks. Further, the US and Iran are also at loggerheads over the missile program and also dim the mood.

That said, optimism that Joe Biden and the team will be able to combat virus woes, at least for the US, as well as the vaccine hopes battle bears.

Against this backdrop, S&P 500 Futures drop 0.20% whereas Japan’s Nikkei 225 gains 0.40% by press time.

Given the lack of major data/events, USD/JPY traders need to check with the risk catalysts for fresh impulse.

Technical analysis

A gradual downward trajectory towards the support line of a three-week-old symmetrical triangle, at 103.85, can’t be ruled out until USD/JPY rises above 104.45 level, comprising the upper line of the stated triangle and 21-day SMA.

additional important levels

Overview
Today last price104.1
Today Daily Change-0.15
Today Daily Change %-0.14%
Today daily open104.25
 
Trends
Daily SMA20104.46
Daily SMA50104.93
Daily SMA100105.52
Daily SMA200106.63
 
Levels
Previous Daily High104.48
Previous Daily Low104.22
Previous Weekly High105.14
Previous Weekly Low103.65
Previous Monthly High106.11
Previous Monthly Low104.03
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%104.32
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%104.38
Daily Pivot Point S1104.15
Daily Pivot Point S2104.05
Daily Pivot Point S3103.89
Daily Pivot Point R1104.41
Daily Pivot Point R2104.58
Daily Pivot Point R3104.67

Author

Anil Panchal

Anil Panchal

FXStreet

Anil Panchal has nearly 15 years of experience in tracking financial markets. With a keen interest in macroeconomics, Anil aptly tracks global news/updates and stays well-informed about the global financial moves and their implications.

More from Anil Panchal
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD risks a deeper drop below 1.1750

EUR/USD keeps its vacillating mood in place as the the NA session drwas to a close on Tuesday, hovering below the 1.1800 hurdle amid acceptable gains in the US Dollar. In the meantime, market participants and the FX galaxy are expected to closely follow President Trump’s SOTU speech around 2AM GMT.
 

GBP/USD regains 1.3500 and above

GBP/USD extends its advance for the third day in a row on Tuesday, this time retesting the area beyond the 1.3500 hurdle. Cable’s uptick comes despite decent gains in the Greenback and the dovish message from the BoE’s Bailey at the UK Parliament.

Gold appears offered around $5,150

Gold is giving back a good portion of the recent multi-day rally, receding to the $5,150 zone per troy ounce amid the decent bounce in the US Dollar and mixed US Treasuty yields. In the meantime, markets’ attention remain on upcoming comments from Fed speakers.

Australia CPI to highlight persistent price pressures, backing a hawkish outlook

Australia will release its key set of inflation figures for the month of January on Wednesday, with the Consumer Price Index expected to rise by 3.7%, slightly lower than the 3.8% in the last month of 2025.

The Citrini report: How a debatable AI narrative can shake Wall Street

That AI-related headline alone was enough to rattle investors.US stocks slid sharply on Monday after a widely circulated Citrini Research memo outlined a hypothetical “2028 Global Intelligence Crisis”, warning that rapid AI adoption could push US unemployment into double digits as early as by mid-2028.

XRP pressured by weak ETF flows and declining retail interest

Ripple (XRP) is edging lower, trading above its intraday low of $1.32 at the time of writing on Tuesday. The decline from its weekly opening of $1.39 reflects heightened volatility in the broader cryptocurrency market, accentuated by tariff-triggered uncertainty.