|

USD/JPY climbs amid renewed US trade tension, steady US yields

  • USD/JPY uptrend extends spurred by steady US 10-year Treasury yield holding at 4.58%.
  • President Trump plans new tariffs on Chinese, European goods, spurring US Dollar recovery.
  • Bank of Japan eyes rate hike with improving wage growth and inflation, softening Yen.

The USD/JPY rose in early trading during the North American session, bolstered by Trump’s trade rhetoric against Canada, Mexico, the EU, and China. In addition, a firm US Dollar and a steady US 10-year Treasury bond yield pushed the pair above the 156.00 figure for a 0.41% gain.

USD/JPY climbs above 156.00, shrugs off BoJ rate hike speculation

On Tuesday, Trump stated his team is discussing applying 10% tariffs on China’s goods on February 1 while vowing to apply duties on European goods are also eyed. Meanwhile, the Greenback recovered following Monday’s 1.22% fall, as Trump tempered his trade rhetoric in his inauguration speech.

In the meantime, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the buck's performance against a basket of six currencies, remains unchanged at 108.13. The US 10-year T-note is yielding 4.58%, flat.

The Japanese Yen remains slightly softer even though the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is expected to raise rates at the January 23-24 meeting. Governor Kazuo Ueda and Co. got a green light as Japanese retailers are increasing wages for the second year amid rising inflation and difficulties in hiring people.

Data-wise, the US economic docket remains absent. In Japan, the Balance of Trade in December is expected to reduce the deficit to ¥-55B from ¥-117.6B.

USD/JPY Price Analysis: Technical outlook

The USD/JPY recovered after hitting a weekly low of 154.76, shy of testing a four-month-old support trendline drawn from October’s 2024 lows of 139.56.

However, buyers stepped in and pushed the exchange rate past the 155.00 and 156.00 figures, as they target the Tenkan-sen at 156.82. A breach of the latter will expose a 157.00 figure, followed by the January 14 daily high at 158.20.

Conversely, if USD/JPY tumbles below 156.00, it would expose 155.00, followed by the January 21 swing low of 154.76.

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 0.02%0.17%0.53%0.28%0.02%0.10%0.14%
EUR-0.02% 0.15%0.50%0.25%0.00%0.08%0.11%
GBP-0.17%-0.15% 0.39%0.10%-0.15%-0.07%-0.06%
JPY-0.53%-0.50%-0.39% -0.25%-0.50%-0.43%-0.41%
CAD-0.28%-0.25%-0.10%0.25% -0.25%-0.17%-0.17%
AUD-0.02%0.00%0.15%0.50%0.25% 0.08%0.09%
NZD-0.10%-0.08%0.07%0.43%0.17%-0.08% 0.00%
CHF-0.14%-0.11%0.06%0.41%0.17%-0.09%-0.00% 

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

Christian Borjon began his career as a retail trader in 2010, mainly focused on technical analysis and strategies around it. He started as a swing trader, as he used to work in another industry unrelated to the financial markets.

More from Christian Borjon Valencia
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD meets some support near 1.1670

EUR/USD further extends its bearish leg on Wednesday, coming under extra pressure and breaching below the 1.1700 level to flirt with four-week troughs in a context of marginal gains in the US Dollar ahead of the key US NFP on Friday.

GBP/USD consolidates above mid-1.3400s; bullish potential seems intact

The GBP/USD pair is seen consolidating its heavy losses registered over the past two days and oscillating in a narrow trading band, just above mid-1.3400s during the Asian session on Thursday. However, the fundamental backdrop warrants some caution for bearish traders and before positioning for an extension of the retracement slide from the 1.3565-1.3570 region, or the highest level since September 18, touched on Tuesday.

Gold remains offered near $4,450

Gold remains on the back foot on Wednesday, hovering around $4,450 per troy ounce after bringing a three-day rally to an end. The metal’s advance seems to have run out of steam near the $4,500 area, with a firmer US Dollar after key US data weighing on prices. Still, the downside looks limited for now, thanks to falling US Treasury yields across the curve.

XRP faces selling pressure as key on-chain metric resets and ETF inflows weaken

Ripple (XRP) is trading downward but holding support at $2.22 at the time of writing on Wednesday, as fear spreads across the cryptocurrency market, reversing gains made from the start of the year.

2026 economic outlook: Clear skies but don’t unfasten your seatbelts yet

Most years fade into the background as soon as a new one starts. Not 2025: a year of epochal shifts, in which the macroeconomy was the dog that did not bark. What to expect in 2026? The shocks of 2025 will not be undone, but neither will they be repeated.

XRP battles selling pressure as profit-taking, ETF inflows shape outlook

Ripple (XRP) is trading downward but holding support at $2.22 at the time of writing on Wednesday, as fear spreads across the cryptocurrency market, reversing gains made from the start of the year.