USD/JPY looking for direction

The Japanese yen continues to show volatility but has closed right where it started over the past few sessions. USD/JPY is trading at 153.65 in the European session, up 0.04% on the day. The yen is coming off an excellent week, surging 2.3% against the US dollar.

We’re unlikely to see much movement from the yen today, as there are no US releases on the calendar and only one minor release out of Japan.

The Federal Reserve meets later this week but the buzz in the market is around the September meeting. The Fed will meet on Wednesday and there have been a few voices calling for a rate cut, but it’s a virtual certainty that the policy makers will maintain the benchmark of between 5.25% and 5.50%.

The markets have priced in a rate hike in September for weeks but things have become interesting with the latest inflation release this past Friday. The PCE Price index ticked lower to 2.5% y/y in June, down from 2.6% in May and in line with expectations. Core PCE remained at 2.6%, just above the market estimate of 2.5%. Monthly, the news was very positive – the PCE Price index rose 0.1% and the core rate climbed 0.2%. As well, personal spending and income both eased in July.

The data shows that inflation is on a downtrend and that the spike in the first quarter was an aberration. As well, consumer spending is slowing. The markets have responded by raising expectations for a 50-basis point cut in September to 11.9%, compared to 3.8% one week ago, according to the CME’S FedWatch. A quarter-point cut is very likely, with a probability of 87.7%. The Fed could use this week’s meeting to set the stage for a cut at the September meeting, which means the markets will be closely monitoring the rate statement and Jerome Powell’s rate conference.
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USD/JPY Technical

• USD/JPY has pushed past resistance at 154.03 and put pressure 154.36 before retreating
• 153.58 and 153.25 are the next support levels

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