|

USD/JPY Price Forecast: To remain sideways ahead of Powell’s Jackson Hole speech

  • USD/JPY consolidates, failing to reclaim 20-day SMA after rebound from recent lows.
  • Resistance at 148.00 and 148.51; break higher targets 200-day SMA near 149.15.
  • Support lies at 147.50 and 147.00, with further downside toward 50-day SMA if selling resumes.

USD/JPY consolidated during Tuesday’s session, ending the day with minimal losses of 0.14%, with the pair trading near familiar levels, below the 20-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 147.86. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 147.61, virtually unchanged as Wednesday’s Asian session begins.

From a daily chart standpoint, the pair is set to remain sideways trading with market players waiting for a fresh catalyst, which would come on Friday, with Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole. Although there is pressure on the Fed by the Trump administration, the chances of Powell turning dovish are slim, following mixed inflation reports last week.

USD/JPY Price Forecast: Technical outlook

The USD/JPY trades below the 20-day SMA, after bouncing off multi-week lows of 146.21, set on August 14. It should be said that the pair has climbed three times straight, unable to conquer 148.00, seen as the first key resistance level. From a momentum standpoint, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hints that buyers remain in control, but the index is headed towards bearish territory.

With that said, the USD/JPY first resistance would be the 20-day SMA and 148.00. If surpassed, the next stop would be August’s 12 peak at 148.51, before traders challenge the 200-day SMA at 149.15. On the flip side, if the pair slides below 147.50, the immediate support would be 147.00, followed by the 50-day SMA at 146.63.

USD/JPY Price Chart – Daily 

USD/JPY daily chart

Japanese Yen PRICE This week

The table below shows the percentage change of Japanese Yen (JPY) against listed major currencies this week. Japanese Yen was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.

USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHF
USD0.56%0.47%0.30%0.37%0.86%0.50%0.26%
EUR-0.56%-0.10%-0.26%-0.20%0.31%-0.09%-0.30%
GBP-0.47%0.10%-0.28%-0.10%0.41%0.00%-0.24%
JPY-0.30%0.26%0.28%0.09%0.58%0.22%-0.04%
CAD-0.37%0.20%0.10%-0.09%0.47%0.12%-0.15%
AUD-0.86%-0.31%-0.41%-0.58%-0.47%-0.40%-0.67%
NZD-0.50%0.09%-0.00%-0.22%-0.12%0.40%-0.27%
CHF-0.26%0.30%0.24%0.04%0.15%0.67%0.27%

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Japanese Yen from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent JPY (base)/USD (quote).

Author

Christian Borjon Valencia

Christian Borjon began his career as a retail trader in 2010, mainly focused on technical analysis and strategies around it. He started as a swing trader, as he used to work in another industry unrelated to the financial markets.

More from Christian Borjon Valencia
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD recovers to 1.1750 region as 2025 draws to a close

Following the bearish action seen in the European session on Wednesday, EUR/USD regains its traction and recovery to the 1.1750 region. Nevertheless, the pair's volatility remains low as trading conditions thin out on the last day of the year.

GBP/USD stays weak near 1.3450 on modest USD recovery

GBP/USD remains under modest beairsh pressure and fluctuates at around 1.3450 on Wednesday. The US Dollar finds fresh demand due to the end-of-the-year position adjustments, weighing on the pair amid the pre-New Year trading lull. 

Gold retreats to $4,300 area, looks to post monthly gains

Gold stays on the back foot on the last day of 2025 and trades near $4,300, possibly pressured by profit-taking and position adjustments. Nevertheless, XAU/USD remains on track to post gains for December and extend its winning streak into a fifth consecutive month.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP prepare for a potential New Year rebound

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple are holding steady on Wednesday after recording minor gains on the previous day. Technically, Bitcoin could extend gains within a triangle pattern while Ethereum and Ripple face critical overhead resistance. 

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).