The US Dollar maintains a modest bid in early European trading, with the USD/JPY pair trading narrowly below the 147.45 resistance level. The downtrend has persisted above 147.00 so far. The USD staged a mild recovery from Monday's lows but faced resistance at 147.45, leading to a measured downward trend on Tuesday. Investor caution ahead of key US employment data has supported the reversal in favor of the Japanese Yen.
Speculation is growing that the Fed has completed its interest rate hikes, and the US central bank is anticipated to commence rate cuts in March, weighing on the US Dollar. Conversely, the Bank of Japan is expected to step away from extremely loose monetary policies in the coming months. This, coupled with risk aversion in the market, is offsetting the safe-haven appeal of the Japanese Yen.
On the economic calendar, today's foundation-setting events include the US ISM Services and JOLTs Job Openings, laying the groundwork for Wednesday's ADP and Friday's Non-Farm Payrolls – key events of the week.
From a technical standpoint, the 4-hour chart illustrates the pair trading within a descending wedge pattern, descending from November's peak. Price action remains below the primary SMA, and the RSI has dipped below the midpoint, signaling a potential continuation of the downtrend.
Next support levels are at 146.30 and 146.00, while resistance levels at 147.45 and 148.50, previously mentioned, represent the 38.2% retracement of the November-December decline.
Speculation is growing that the Fed has completed its interest rate hikes, and the US central bank is anticipated to commence rate cuts in March, weighing on the US Dollar. Conversely, the Bank of Japan is expected to step away from extremely loose monetary policies in the coming months. This, coupled with risk aversion in the market, is offsetting the safe-haven appeal of the Japanese Yen.
On the economic calendar, today's foundation-setting events include the US ISM Services and JOLTs Job Openings, laying the groundwork for Wednesday's ADP and Friday's Non-Farm Payrolls – key events of the week.
From a technical standpoint, the 4-hour chart illustrates the pair trading within a descending wedge pattern, descending from November's peak. Price action remains below the primary SMA, and the RSI has dipped below the midpoint, signaling a potential continuation of the downtrend.
Next support levels are at 146.30 and 146.00, while resistance levels at 147.45 and 148.50, previously mentioned, represent the 38.2% retracement of the November-December decline.
