Created on January 05, 2026

The US dollar initially jumped against the yen on Friday, but it is worth noting that the markets are still paying you to hold this pair to the long side.

USD/JPY

The US dollar initially did rally a bit during the trading session here on Friday, but we have given some of that back. It isn’t a huge surprise, nor do I think it really matters because, quite frankly, Friday is essentially a throwaway day as most traders won’t even be bothered trading until Monday at the earliest.

That being said, we are in the middle of consolidation, so the fact that we went up early and then turned around later in the same session really doesn’t surprise me. This is a market that continues to see the 158 yen level above offer resistance while 155 yen starts the floor. We have the 50-day EMA sitting right there as well, but I think the floor is a little thick here and therefore short-term dips almost certainly offer opportunities.

Market Sentiment and Outlook

If we can break above 158 yen, and I do expect that to happen eventually, we go looking to the 160 yen level. On a breakdown below the 50-day EMA, then the 153 yen level could be targeted for support.

I do expect to see a lot of choppy and erratic behavior, but over the longer term, this is a market that I think continues to be bullish mainly due to the fact that the Bank of Japan cannot tighten monetary policy seriously, and you will continue to get paid to hold onto this pair to the long side at the end of every session.

Granted, that interest rate differential might shrink a bit, and it takes away some of the momentum, but as things stand right now, I don’t see any reason to get short, at least not unless there’s some type of external shock that really throws a monkey wrench into risk appetite.

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Created on January 05, 2026

The EUR/USD pair ended the week in the red last week as many investors remained in a holiday mood. It was trading at 1.1720, down slightly from last year’s high of 1.1910 ahead of key events this week.

US Non-Farm Payrolls Data

The EUR/USD exchange rate will likely be volatile this week as investors react to the upcoming US Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) data, which are scheduled on Friday.

The report is expected to show that the American economy added over 55k jobs in December after adding 64k in the previous month. Most notably, the report is expected to show that manufacturing jobs continued falling, mostly because of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Economists expect the upcoming report to show that the unemployment rate dropped to 4.5% in December from the previous 4.6%. The unemployment rate has jumped in the past few months because of Donald Trump’s policy to purge thousands of government workers.

The upcoming jobs report comes a week after the Federal Reserve published minutes of the last monetary policy meeting. These minutes showed that most officials hinted that they were supportive of interest rate cuts if the country’s inflation continues falling.

The EUR/USD pair will also react mildly to the weekend events in which Donald Trump invaded Venezuela, took its leader, and charged him in a New York court. While Venezuela has vast oil resources, the amount of oil it ships to other countries is relatively lower than other countries.

The other major catalysts for the EUR/USD pair will be the upcoming macro data from Europe and the United States. For example, the ISM will publish the latest manufacturing PMI numbers, which will provide more data on the state of the sector.

Also, Eurostat will release the latest consumer price index (CPI) data on Wednesday, which will provide more information about the state of inflation and hints on what to expect from the European Central Bank.

EUR/USD Technical Analysis

The weekly chart shows that the EUR/USD pair has remained in a tight range in the past few weeks. It was trading at 1.1720 on Friday, down slightly from last month’s high of 1.1806.

The pair has remained slightly above the 50-week and 25-week Exponential Moving Averages (EMA), a sign that the bullish trend will continue. It has also remained above the Supertrend indicator.

However, a closer look shows that it has formed a double-top pattern at 1.1800 and a neckline at 1.1466. It also remains at the ultimate resistance level of the Murrey Math Lines tool.

Therefore, there is a likelihood that the pair will retreat this week as investors price in geopolitical risks. If this happens, it may drop to the key support level at 1.1600. A move above the resistance at 1.1800 will invalidate the bearish outlook.

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No news for GBPJPY pair until this moment due to its stability below 211.30 barrier, which forces it to provide new sideways fluctuated moves and delay the bullish rally in the current trading.

There are a chance for forming bearish corrective waves to target 210.40 level, reaching extra support near 209.70, while breaching the current barrier and holding above it, will provide a chance for a new bullish waves, to record extra gains by its rally towards 212.50 reaching the bullish channel’s resistance at 213.55.

The expected trading range for today is between 209.30 and 211.30

Trend forecast: Fluctuated within the bullish trend

US ISM Manufacturing PMI and Fed Speakers in Focus

Later on Monday, US private sector PMI figures are likely to influence demand for the US dollar and the USD/JPY pair. Economists forecast the ISM Manufacturing PMI to increase from 48.2 in November to 48.3 in December.

Typically, a less pronounced contraction, rising employment, and higher prices support a less dovish Fed policy stance, which would lift demand for the US dollar. While the sector accounts for around 10% of the US GDP, the underlying PMI data provide insights into the effect of tariffs and the higher interest rate backdrop on prices.

Last week, the less influential S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI revealed that tariffs continued to drive prices higher, suggesting a more hawkish Fed policy stance. However, the ISM Services PMI, due out on January 7, will be key, given that the sector accounts for roughly 80% of US GDP and is the key inflation contributor.

While the PMI data will influence US dollar demand, Fed commentary remains key for USD/JPY trends. Increased calls to cut rates to bolster the labor market would dampen demand for the US dollar, pushing USD/JPY lower.

According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the probability of a March Fed rate cut increased from 51.1% on January 2 to 54.0% on January 3.

Looking ahead, expectations of further BoJ rate hikes, a new Fed Chair, potentially favoring lower rates, and a cooling US labor market remain key drivers. These scenarios continue to support a bearish short- to medium-term outlook for USD/JPY.

Technical Outlook: USD/JPY on a Downward Trajectory

For USD/JPY price trends, technicals, and fundamentals will continue to require close monitoring.

Looking at the daily chart, USD/JPY traded above its 50-day and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), signaling a bullish bias. While technicals remained bullish, bearish fundamentals are developing, outweighing the technical structure.

A break below the 155 support level and the 50-day EMA would indicate a bearish near-term trend reversal. A sustained fall through the 50-day EMA would expose the 200-day EMA. If breached, 150 would be the next key support level.

Crucially, a sustained fall through the 50-day and 200-day EMAs would reinforce the bearish price outlooks for USD/JPY.