• The USD/JPY forecast suggests a brief pause after a rally in the previous session.

• The US reported that inflation increased by 0.5% in January.

• Market participants are keeping an eye on Trump’s tariff developments.

The USD/JPY forecast suggests a brief retreat as traders take profits after an upbeat US inflation report. However, the bullish bias remains intact as market participants price a hawkish Fed and only one rate cut this year. High borrowing costs will keep a wide gap in rates between the US and Japan, hurting the yen.

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The dollar rallied to new peaks against the yen after an upbeat consumer inflation report, reversing the previous downtrend. The US reported that inflation increased by 0.5% in January, well above estimates of a 0.3% increase. At the same time, the annual figure jumped by 3.0%, beating forecasts of 2.9%. The unexpectedly hot numbers pushed market participants to slash bets for Fed rate cuts. After the report, traders were only pricing 28-bps of rate cuts this year, down from 37-bps.

Meanwhile, market participants are keeping an eye on Trump’s tariff developments. The US President has promised to impose duties on all countries that have tariffs on US goods. Such an outcome would rekindle fears of a global trade war and economic uncertainty. Moreover, tariffs will likely keep US inflation high, forcing the Fed to keep rates at elevated levels. 

USD/JPY key events today

• US core PPI m/m
• US PPI m/m
• US unemployment claims

USD/JPY technical forecast: Bulls pause to retest 154.01 as support

On the technical side, the USD/JPY price has broken above the 30-SMA and soared past the 154.01 resistance level. At the same time, the RI has jumped and now trades near the overbought region. This shows a strong shift in sentiment from bearish to bullish. 

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Previously, the price had shown massive bearish momentum when it collapsed through the 154.01 support and reached the 151.02 level. However, bears could not continue beyond this level. As a result, bulls emerged and made an engulfing candle that signaled a looming reversal. Soon after, the price broke above the SMA, rising to new highs. 

At the moment, the price is retesting the 154.01 level as support. If it holds firm, the price will likely climb to the 156.00 resistance level. However, it might drop further to the 30-SMA before making new highs.

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