|

USD/JPY Review: Oversold JPY may have cheered BOJ's routine QE adjustment

  • USD/JPY is flashing red, courtesy of overbought conditions. The technical charts are showing early signs of a bearish reversal.
  • BOJ trimmed JGB purchases at regulator operation. The oversold JPY may have picked up a bid on routine QE adjustment.

Currently, the USD/JPY is trading at 112.75, having hit a session high of 112.88 and low of 112.65 earlier today.

The currency pair's retreat from the six-month high of 113.14 could be associated with the overbought conditions and signs of bullish exhaustion, as shown by the relative strength index (RSI) and yesterday's doji candle.

Further, the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) decision to reduce purchases of JGBs maturing in 25-40 years by JPY 10 billion. The central bank has always maintained that these adjustments do not qualify as a policy change and hence markets usually do not respond to routine QE adjustments.

However, today's QE adjustment may have weighed over the USD/JPY pair as the oversold JPY has been looking for reasons to regain some poise.   

Looking ahead, the pair could suffer a deeper pullback, courtesy of a bearish price-relative strength index (RSI) divergence on the 4-hour chart and falling tops formation on the hourly chart

Hourly chart

Spot Rate: 112.75

Daily High: 112.88

Daily Low: 112.65

Trend: Bearish

Resistance

R1: 113.00 (psychological hurdle)

R2: 113.27/28 (200-week MA + 61.8 percent Fib of 2017-18 slide)

R3:  114.74 *(November 2017 high)

Support

S1: 112.60 (5-day moving average)

S2: 111.99 (10-day moving average)

S3: 111.40 (May 21 high)

Author

Omkar Godbole

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

More from Omkar Godbole
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD treads water above 1.1850 amid thin trading

EUR/USD stays defensive but holds 1.1850 amid quiet markets in the European hours on Monday.  The US Dollar is struggling for direction due to thin liquidity conditions as US markets are closed in observance of Presidents' Day. 

GBP/USD flat lines as traders await key UK and US macro data

GBP/USD kicks off a new week on a subdued note and oscillates in a narrow range near 1.365 in Monday's European trading. The mixed fundamental backdrop warrants some caution for aggressive traders as the market focus now shifts to this week's important releases from the UK and the US.

Gold slides below $5,000 amid USD uptick and positive risk tone; downside seems limited

Gold attracts fresh sellers at the start of a new week and reverses a part of Friday's strong move up of over $150 from sub-$4,900 levels. The commodity slides back below the $5,000 psychological mark during the Asian session, though the downside potential seems limited amid a combination of supporting factors.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate within key ranges as selling pressure eases

Bitcoin and Ethereum prices have been trading sideways within key ranges following the massive correction. Meanwhile, XRP recovers slightly, breaking above the key resistance zone. The top three cryptocurrencies hint at a potential short-term recovery, with momentum indicators showing fading bearish signs.

Global inflation watch: Signs of cooling services inflation

Realized inflation landed close to expectations in January, as negative base effects weighed on the annual rates. Remaining sticky inflation is largely explained by services, while tariff-driven goods inflation remains limited even in the US.

Ripple Price Forecast: XRP potential bottom could be in sight

Ripple edges up above the intraday low of $1.35 at the time of writing on Friday amid mixed price actions across the crypto market. The remittance token failed to hold support at $1.40 the previous day, reflecting risk-off sentiment amid a decline in retail and institutional sentiment.