|

USD/JPY remains confined in a range below mid-105.00s, hangs near 2-week lows

  • USD/JPY was seen oscillating in a range and consolidated its recent fall to over two-week lows.
  • Investors seemed reluctant to place any aggressive bets ahead of the key central bank events.

The USD/JPY pair lacked any firm directional bias and seesawed between tepid gains/minor losses, below mid-105.00s through the first half of the trading action on Wednesday.

The pair was seen consolidating its recent sharp fall to over two-week lows as investors now seemed reluctant to place any aggressive bets ahead of the key central bank events. The downside remains cushioned amid the latest optimism over a potential vaccine for the highly contagious coronavirus disease, which remained supportive of the upbeat market mood and undermined the safe-haven Japanese yen.

On the other hand, the US dollar bulls remained on the defensive and failed to provide any meaningful impetus to the USD/JPY pair. Wednesday's key focus will remain on the highly anticipated FOMC monetary policy decision, due to be announced later during the US trading session. The US central bank is expected to maintain its stance and reiterate tolerance for above-target inflation for some time to support the economy.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan is also scheduled to announce its policy decision on Thursday, which will further play a key role in determining the USD/JPY pair's next leg of a directional move. In the meantime, Wednesday's release of the US Monthly Retail Sales figures will influence the USD price dynamics and produce some short-term trading opportunities later during the early North American session.

Technical levels to watch

USD/JPY

Overview
Today last price105.34
Today Daily Change-0.10
Today Daily Change %-0.09
Today daily open105.44
 
Trends
Daily SMA20106.02
Daily SMA50106.22
Daily SMA100106.81
Daily SMA200107.81
 
Levels
Previous Daily High105.82
Previous Daily Low105.3
Previous Weekly High106.38
Previous Weekly Low105.79
Previous Monthly High107.05
Previous Monthly Low105.1
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%105.5
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%105.62
Daily Pivot Point S1105.22
Daily Pivot Point S2105.01
Daily Pivot Point S3104.71
Daily Pivot Point R1105.74
Daily Pivot Point R2106.03
Daily Pivot Point R3106.25

Author

Haresh Menghani

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

More from Haresh Menghani
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD stays well offered below 1.1800

The selling pressure on EUR/USD is picking up pace, with the pair slipping decisively below the key 1.1800 level and sliding to fresh two week lows as Wednesday’s session draws to a close. The move lower comes as the US Dollar finds renewed strength after the latest round of US data and the release of the FOMC Minutes. Next of note on the docket will be the US weekly Initial Jobless Claims.
 

GBP/USD reaches multi-day lows near 1.3500

GBP/USD reverses its initial upside momentum and is now adding to previous declines, approaching the 1.3500 region on Wednesday. Cable’s downtick comes on the back of decent gains in the Greenback and easing UK inflation figures, which seem to have reinforced the case for a BoE rate cut in March.

Gold battle to regain $5,000 continues

Gold is back on the front foot on Wednesday, shaking off part of the early week softness and challenging two-day highs near the $5,000 mark per troy ounce. The move comes ahead of the FOMC Minutes and is unfolding despite an intense rebound in the US Dollar.

Australia unemployment rate set to edge up within overall strong labor market

The Australian monthly employment report is scheduled for release on Thursday at 00:30 GMT, and market participants anticipate a modest increase in jobs in January. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is expected to announce that the country added 20K new jobs in the month, while the Unemployment Rate is forecast at 4.2%, up from the 4.1% posted in December.

Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England

Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.

Sui extends sideways action ahead of Grayscale’s GSUI ETF launch

Sui is extending its downtrend for the second consecutive day, trading at 0.95 at the time of writing on Wednesday. The Layer-1 token is down over 16% in February and approximately 34% from the start of the year, aligning with the overall bearish sentiment across the crypto market.