USD/JPY treading water near 148.60 as investors sniff out US inflation figures

The US Dollar (USD) held mostly flat against the Japenese Yen (JPY) on Tuesday with a little bit of wiggle, and the USD/JPY pair is headed into the Wednesday market session trading near 148.60.

With little meaningful data slated for the economic calendar from Japan this week, it's all about US inflation numbers heading into the midweek.

US Producer Price Index (PPI) figures due Wednesday could see a dogpile into the US Dollar if the release sees a firm surprise to the upside. With markets easing back expectations of additional rate hikes from the Federal Reserve (Fed), a sudden uptick in inflationary figures would see US Treasury yields surge and the Greenback soar once more.

US PPI figures for the annualized period into September are forecast to print at 1.6%, down slightly from the previous period's 2.0%. Wednesday will also see the release of the Fed's latest meeting minutes, due later in the day at 18:00 GMT.

In an inflation follow-up to the PPI data drop, Thursday will be bringing high-impact US Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers, where markets are hoping for a downtick in the annualized figure into September from 3.7% to 3.6%.

USD/JPY Technical Outlook

The long-term trend outlook for the USD/JPY is exceedingly bullish, with the Greenback trading well above the median against the Yen. The USD/JPY continues to soar high above the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SDMA), which is currently riding up into the 139.00 chart region, with technical support for the pair currently sitting near 147.00 from the 50-day SMA.

 Traders will note that USD/JPY prices near the 150.00 major handle have historically been a place of interest for the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to threaten (or unexpectedly execute) FX market interventions to protect the Yen.

USD/JPY Daily Chart

USD/JPY Technical Levels