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USD/JPY steadily climbs to session tops, around 109.15-20 region

  • USD/JPY reversed an Asian session dip to sub-109.00 levels, closer to weekly lows.
  • COVID-19 crisis in Japan, the risk-on mood continued weighing on the safe-haven JPY.
  • An uptick in the US bond yields remained supportive; weaker USD might cap the upside.
  • Friday’s key focus will remain on the closely-watched US monthly jobs report, or NFP.

The USD/JPY pair has managed to recover around 20-25 pips from the Asian session lows and was last seen trading near the 109.15 region, or daily tops.

The pair attracted some dip-buying on the last trading day of the week and reverse an intraday dip to sub-109.00 level. This marks the first day of a positive move in the previous two and was sponsored by a combination of factors.

Worries that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases could hinder Japan's fragile economic recovery continued acting as a headwind for the Japanese yen. This, in turn, was seen as a key factor that extended some support to the USD/JPY pair.

In the latest development, Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said this Friday that the advisory panel agreed to extend the covid-induced state of emergence until the end of May while expanding the coverage to other prefectures.

Apart from this, the underlying bullish sentiment in the financial markets further undermined the safe-haven JPY and provided a modest lift to the USD/JPY pair. Bullish traders further took cues from a goodish pickup in the US Treasury bond yields.

That said, the prevalent selling bias surrounding the US dollar might keep a lid on any runaway rally for the USD/JPY pair. Investors might also refrain from placing aggressive bets ahead of Friday's release of the closely-watched US jobs report.

Looking at the technical picture, the USD/JPY pair has been oscillating in a range over the past four trading sessions. This further makes it prudent to wait for a sustained move in either direction before positioning for the near-term trajectory.

Technical levels to watch

USD/JPY

Overview
Today last price109.15
Today Daily Change0.06
Today Daily Change %0.06
Today daily open109.09
 
Trends
Daily SMA20108.76
Daily SMA50108.86
Daily SMA100106.57
Daily SMA200105.86
 
Levels
Previous Daily High109.43
Previous Daily Low109
Previous Weekly High109.37
Previous Weekly Low107.64
Previous Monthly High110.85
Previous Monthly Low107.48
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%109.16
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%109.27
Daily Pivot Point S1108.92
Daily Pivot Point S2108.75
Daily Pivot Point S3108.49
Daily Pivot Point R1109.34
Daily Pivot Point R2109.6
Daily Pivot Point R3109.77

Author

Haresh Menghani

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

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