|

USD/JPY steady amid tariff threats ahead of BoJ’s meeting

  • USD/JPY stable despite volatility after Trump announces possible 25% tariffs on neighboring countries.
  • US Dollar Index (DXY) gains 0.29%, reaching 108.30, amid positive market sentiment.
  • Focus on upcoming Bank of Japan meeting; potential for 25 basis point rate hike expected.

The USD/JPY was virtually unchanged during the North American session on Tuesday, as traders assessed US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico as soon as February 1. The Greenback recovered as the major hit a daily high of 156.20. However, fears faded as the pair traded near 155.54, virtually unchanged.

USD/JPY consolidates near 155.50 on President Trump's proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico

Market sentiment remains upbeat, and the US Dollar climbs, as depicted by the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the basket of six currencies against the buck, rising 0.29% to 108.30.

Meanwhile, traders in the FX markets would continue to be attentive to Trump’s rhetoric, which sent ripples late Monday in the US as he signed a tranche of executive orders, including illegal immigration and naming cartels as global terrorist organizations.

In addition, USD/JPY traders are focused on the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) next monetary policy meeting. Interest rate probabilities suggest the BoJ would likely raise rates by 25 basis points to 0.50% for the first time since July last year.

Source: Prime Market Terminal

This week, the US economic schedule remains absent until Thursday, when the Initial Jobless Claims data will be released, followed by Friday’s S&P Flash PMIs. In Japan, the docket will feature Trade Balance data and foreign Investment figures ahead of the BoJ meeting.

USD/JPY Price Forecast: Technical outlook

The USD/JPY uptrend remains intact, but recently, sellers stepped in and dragged spot prices from around 158.80 to the current level. Despite this, bears failed to clear a support trendline drawn from September 2024 lows near 154.50. Nevertheless, if USD/JPY holds below 156.00, further downside is seen once 155.00 is cleared. The next support would be the 154.50, followed by the 154.00 mark.

On the other hand, if USD/JPY rises past the Senkou-span A at 156.41, a test of 157.00 is on the cards. If surpassed, a jump toward the January 15 high of 158.03 is likely.

Japanese Yen PRICE Today

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

 USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHF
USD 0.25%0.30%-0.06%0.56%0.33%0.45%0.20%
EUR-0.25% 0.06%-0.24%0.30%0.08%0.21%-0.07%
GBP-0.30%-0.06% -0.34%0.24%0.01%0.14%-0.12%
JPY0.06%0.24%0.34% 0.61%0.37%0.48%0.23%
CAD-0.56%-0.30%-0.24%-0.61% -0.23%-0.10%-0.37%
AUD-0.33%-0.08%-0.01%-0.37%0.23% 0.12%-0.14%
NZD-0.45%-0.21%-0.14%-0.48%0.10%-0.12% -0.27%
CHF-0.20%0.07%0.12%-0.23%0.37%0.14%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

Markets analyst, news editor, and trading instructor with over 14 years of experience across FX, commodities, US equity indices, and global macro markets.

More from Christian Borjon Valencia
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD sticks to positive bias above 1.1800 as trade jitters undermine USD

The EUR/USD pair builds on the previous day's modest gains and attracts some buyers for the second straight day on Thursday amid a softer US Dollar. Spot prices, however, lack bullish conviction and trade around the 1.1815-1.1820 area during the Asian session, up 0.10% for the day.

GBP/USD bounces as soft CPI boosts BoE cut bets

GBP/USD rose 0.42% on Wednesday, recovering toward 1.3600 in a session shaped by softer-than-expected UK inflation data and broad US Dollar weakness. The pair had been consolidating in a tight range between about 1.3450 and 1.3520 for the past few days following the sharp pullback from the late-January high near 1.3870, and Wednesday's move pushed price action back onto the high side of key moving averages.

Gold retains positive bias amid sustained safe-haven demand, softer USD

Gold attracts some buyers for the second straight day as trade jitters and geopolitical tensions ahead of the US-Iran nuclear talks underpin demand for safe-haven assets. Apart from this, a softer US Dollar further supports the bullion, though the underlying bullish sentiment could cap gains. Bulls might also opt to wait for acceptance above the $5,200 mark before positioning for any meaningful appreciating move.

AUD/USD rises toward three-year highs on RBA rate hike bets

AUD/USD remains stronger for the third successive session, trading around 0.7120 during the Asian hours on Thursday. The pair advances toward its three-year high of 0.7147, last touched on February 12, as the Australian Dollar strengthens following hotter-than-expected inflation data from Australia, reinforcing expectations of further interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank of Australia this year.

Nvidia delivers another monster earnings report, and forecasts big things to come

It was another monster earnings report from Nvidia for fiscal Q4. Revenues were $68.1bn, smashing estimates of $65bn. Gross profit margin was a healthy 75%, up from 73.5% in the prior quarter, and the outlook for this quarter was monstrous.

Cosmos Hub Price Forecast: ATOM rebounds slightly, bearish outlook remains intact

Cosmos Hub (ATOM) price rebounds, trading above $2.05 at the time of writing on Wednesday, after undergoing a sharp correction since last week. Weakening on-chain and derivatives data support a bearish outlook, while technical analysis remains unfavorable.