Chart – Courtesy Trading View
USD/JPY was trading 0.21% lower on the day at 147.94 at around 04:25 GMT, technical outlook remains bullish. The pair is extending sideways above 21-EMA support, cautious optimism prevails ahead of the all-important US jobs report. US economy is expected to have added 200k jobs in October vs. the prior release of 263k. Also, the Unemployment Rate is seen higher at 3.6%.
Data Released (Thursday):
– US ISM Services PMI for October dropped to 54.4 from 56.7 prior and 55.5 market consensus.
– The Factory Orders matched 0.3% forecast versus 0.2% upwardly revised previous readings.
– The US S&P Global Composite PMI and Services PMI got an upward revision from their preliminary readings for the stated month
– The Initial Jobless Claims eased to 217K for the week ended on October 28 versus 220K expected and 218K prior.
– US inflation expectations, as per the 10-year and 5-year breakeven inflation rates per the St. Louis Federal Reserve (FRED) data, dropped to the lowest levels since October 19 and 13 in that order.
Technical Analysis:
– USD/JPY trades above cloud and major moving averages which are trending higher
– GMMA indicator shows major trend is bullish
– Bearish RSI divergence keeps scope for some downside
– Stochs and RSI are biased lower and volatility is low
Major Support Levels:
S1: 147.31 (21-EMA)
S2: 145.42 (Lower BB)
Major Resistance Levels:
R1: 149
R2: 150.37 (Upper BB)
Summary: USD/JPY pivotal at 21-EMA support, bias bullish as long as pair holds above. Decisive break below will see change in near-term trend.