USD/JPY Forecast and News
USD/JPY off lows but heavy near 151.50 amid upbeat Japan's Q4 GDP
The Japanese Yen sticks to its strong intraday gains in the wake of a strong domestic Gross Domestic Product print, which reaffirmed bets that the Bank of Japan will hike interest rates further.
Latest Japanese Yen News
USD/JPY Technical Overview
From current levels, the 151.45-151.40 area could offer immediate support ahead of the 150.95-150.90 region, or the lowest level since December 10 touched earlier this month. Given that oscillators on the daily chart are holding in negative territory, some follow-through selling would be seen as a fresh trigger for bearish traders. The USD/JPY pair might then accelerate the fall towards the 150.00 psychological mark en route to the 149.60-149.55 zone, the 149.00 round figure, and the December 2024 swing low, around the 148.65 region.
On the flip side, any meaningful recovery beyond the 152.00 mark might confront a strong hurdle near the 152.70 area, or the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA). This is followed by the 100-day SMA, currently pegged near the 153.15 region, which if cleared decisively could trigger a short-covering rally. The subsequent move up has the potential to lift the USD/JPY pair beyond the 154.00 round figure, towards the 154.45-154.50 supply zone en route to last week's swing high, around the 154.75-154.80 region.
Fundamental Overview
The Japanese Yen (JPY) sticks to its strong intraday gains in the wake of a strong domestic Gross Domestic Product (GDP) print, which reaffirmed bets that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will hike interest rates further. Furthermore, the narrowing of the US-Japan rate differential turns out to be other factors underpinning demand for the lower-yielding JPY. Apart from this, the prevalent US Dollar (USD) selling bias keeps the USD/JPY pair depressed just above mid-151.00s, or near a one-week low touched during the Asian session earlier this Monday.
That said, concerns about US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs might hold back the JPY bulls from placing aggressive bets. Moreover, the growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve (Fed) would retain its hawkish stance and keep interest rates on hold for an extended period acts as a tailwind for the USD, which, in turn, helps limit losses for the USD/JPY pair. Nevertheless, the fundamental backdrop seems tilted in favor of the JPY bulls and suggests that the path of least resistance for the currency pair remains to the downside.
Japanese Yen retains bullish bias as strong Q4 GDP print reaffirms BoJ rate hike bets
Data released earlier this Monday showed that Japan's economy expanded by 0.7% in the October-December quarter compared to the previous quarter's upwardly revised reading of 0.4%.
The yearly growth rate accelerated from a revised 1.7% in the third quarter to 2.8%, which supports the Bank of Japan's plan to keep hiking rates amid signs of broadening inflation in Japan.
Japan's Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa said that he expects the economy to continue making a modest recovery, though he noted the need to be mindful of overseas economic downside risks.
Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported on Sunday that Japan had asked to be exempted from US President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, and the so-called reciprocal tariffs.
This follows Trump’s order on Thursday to formulate plans for reciprocal tariffs on every country that imposes taxes on US imports, though he stopped short of announcing immediate levies.
This, along with the dismal US Retail Sales figures released on Friday, keeps the US Dollar depressed near its lowest level since December 17 and weighs on the USD/JPY pair.
The US Census Bureau reported that Retail Sales declined by 0.9% in January, worse than the decrease of 0.1% expected and the 0.7% increase (revised from 0.4%) in December.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled on Sunday that talks with Russia this week were a chance to see how serious Russian President Vladimir Putin is about peace.
Adding to this, Trump said that he was working hard to achieve peace and that he believed he could meet Putin very soon to discuss ending the protracted war in Ukraine.
USD/JPY Big Picture
USD/JPY Bullish Themes
USD/JPY Bearish Themes
Latest JPY Analysis
Editors' picks
EUR/USD stays defensive below 1.0500 amid light trading
EUR/USD struggles to capitalize on recent upside and oscillates in a narrow range below 1.0500 in European trading on Monday. However, the pair's downside remains cushioned by persistent US Dollar weakness and an upbeat mood. Focus shifts to central bank talks.
GBP/USD ranges near 1.2600 as US Dollar steadies
GBP/USD keeps its range near 1.2600 in the early European session on Monday. The pair stays support amid a subdued US Dollar price action following Friday's disappoining US Retail Sales data. Thin trading is likely to extend as US markets are closed in observance of Presidents' Day.
USD/JPY off lows but heavy near 151.50 amid upbeat Japan's Q4 GDP
The Japanese Yen sticks to its strong intraday gains in the wake of a strong domestic Gross Domestic Product print, which reaffirmed bets that the Bank of Japan will hike interest rates further.
Gold: Bulls have the upper hand near $2,900 amid trade war fears and weaker USD
Gold regained positive traction on Monday amid sustained USD weakness. Concerns about Trump’s tariffs further benefit the safe-haven XAU/USD pair. The fundamental and technical setup underpin prospects for additional gains.
WTI holds steady above $70.50, eyes on Russia-Ukraine peace deal
West Texas Intermediate Oil price rebounds from losses in the previous session, trading around $70.60 per barrel during Monday’s Asian hours. However, crude Oil prices faced headwinds as optimism surrounding a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine eased supply concerns.
Majors
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Signatures
USD/JPY YEARLY FORECAST
How could USD/JPY move this year? Our experts make a USD/JPY update forecasting the possible moves of the yen-dollar pair during the whole year.
USD/JPY FORECAST 2025
The US Dollar could decline against some currencies but not against the Yen. Why? Because the Japanese currency is a safe-haven asset sensitive to tensions in Asia. If Sino-American tensions ease, it would likely fall. Central banks are slow movers, and the Bank of Japan – especially under Governor Kazuo Ueda – is even slower. Ueda and his colleagues are expected to drag their feet and only mention rate hikes as an effort to keep the Yen supported. Read more details about the forecast.
USD/JPY could trend up in the latter half of the year in response to more hawkish Fed policy and disillusionment with the BoJ's lack of rate hikes.
MOST INFLUENTIAL POLITICAL EVENTS IN 2025 FOR USD/JPY
Politics will likely be more dominant in 2025. The main reason is Trump’s new administration, but political instability in Japan will also play a role. In case Trump follows through with some of his threats, the Yen could benefit in two ways. First, when worries grow, it benefits, as mentioned earlier. Secondly, Japan could benefit from trade diverting away from China.
The Fed isn’t expected to raise rates in 2025, but refraining from bringing borrowing costs back to around 3% – nor intending to do so – would be enough to keep the US Dollar at an advantage over all currencies, including the safe-haven Yen. While inflation hit the shores of Japan, it is hard to see the BoJ further raising rates while the entire world is slashing them.
Influential Institutions & People for the USD/JPY
The US Dollar Japanese Yen can be seriously affected by news or the decisions taken by two main central banks:
The Federal Reserve Bank (Fed)
On the other
FED Official Website, on Twitter and Facebook
The Bank of Japan (BOJ)
The Bank of Japan is the central bank of Japan and it's a juridical person established based on the Bank of Japan Act, nor being a government agency either a private corporation. The most important missions of the BOJ are the following: to issue and manage banknotes, to implement monetary policy and to ensure stability of the financial system. Almost all of the decisions are taken by the Policy Board, formed by a bunch of members working to provide currency and monetary control and setting the next moves that the central bank will take.
BOJ Official Website and on Twitter
Jerome Powell
Jerome Powell took office as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in February 2018, for a four-year term ending in February 2022. His term as a member of the Board of Governors will expire January 31, 2028. Born in Washington D.C., he received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University in 1975 and earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1979. Powell served as an assistant secretary and as undersecretary of the Treasury under President George H.W. Bush. He also worked as a lawyer and investment banker in New York City. From 1997 through 2005, Powell was a partner at The Carlyle Group.
Jerome Powell Fed's Profile and Wikipedia
Kazuo Ueda
Kazuo Ueda is the 32nd and current Governor of the Bank of Japan. He is a professor and the dean of the business department at Kyoritsu Women's University in Tokyo and the external director at JGC Holdings Corp, an engineering company and at the state-owned Development Bank of Japan. The 71-year-old is widely seen as an expert on monetary policy but is seen as a surprise appointment by analysts. He was not even considered a dark-horse candidate. Ueda wasn’t really on their radar because the BOJ governor job has traditionally been assumed by a long-serving Finance Ministry bureaucrat or central bank official.
Ueda on Wikipedia's Profile
BOJ NEWS & ANALYSIS
FED NEWS & ANALYSIS
About USD/JPY
The USD/JPY (or US Dollar Japanese Yen) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. This group also includes the following currency pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD. Japanese Yen has a low-interest rate and is normally used in carrying trades. This is the reason why is one of the most traded currencies worldwide. In this pair, the US Dollar is the base currency and the Japanese Yen is the counter currency. The pair represents American (from the United States of America) and Japanese economies.
Trading this currency pair is also known as trading the "ninja" or the "gopher", although this last name is more frequently used when referred to the GBP/JPY currency pair. The US Dollar Japanese Yen usually has a positive correlation with the following two pairs: USD/CHF and USD/CAD. The nature of this correlation is due to the fact that both currency pairs also use the US Dollar as the base currency. The value of the pair tends to be affected when the two main central banks of each country, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) and the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed), face serious interest rate differential.
Related pairs
GBP/USD
The GBP/USD (or Pound Dollar) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs worldwide. This group also includes the following currency pairs: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD. The pair is also called 'The Cable', referring to the first Transatlantic cable that was crossing the Atlantic Ocean in order to connect Great Britain with the United States of America. This term was originated in the mid-19th century and it makes GBP/USD one of the oldest currency pairs in the world.
The popularity of the Pound Dollar is due to the fact that represents two strong economies: British and American (from the United States of America). The Cable is a closely watched and widely traded currency pair where the Pound is the base currency and the US Dollar is the counter currency. For that reason, all the macroeconomic data related to the United States and the United Kingdom affects the price of this pair. One of the events which affected most the volatility of the pound vs. dollar was Brexit.
EUR/USD
The EUR/USD (or Euro Dollar) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. This group also includes the following currency pairs: GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD. The popularity of Euro Dollar is due to the fact that it gathers two main economies: the European and American (from United States of America) ones. This is a widely traded currency pair where the Euro is the base currency and the US Dollar is the counter currency. Since the EUR/USD pair consists of more than half of all the trading volume worldwide in the Forex Market, it is almost impossible for a gap to appear, let alone a consequent breakaway gap in the opposite direction.
Normally, the EUR/USD is very quiet during the Asian session because economic data that affects the fundamentals of those currencies is released in either the European or U.S. session. Once traders in Europe get to their desks a flurry of activity hits the tape as they start filling customer orders and jockey for positions. At noon activity slows down as traders step out for lunch and then picks back up again as the U.S. comes online.