JPY eased slightly ahead of Trump's inauguration

The Japanese Yen (JPY) fluctuated between small losses and slight gains against the US dollar, with the USD/JPY pair trying to stabilize around the 156.15-156.20 range during the early European trading session on Monday. Core machinery orders in Japan increased for the second consecutive month, signaling further recovery in capital spending. This, along with bets that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will raise interest rates later this week, provided a modest boost for the JPY.

Additionally, a fresh round of US dollar (USD) selling contributed to the day’s decline in USD/JPY. However, a generally positive risk tone and the uncertainty surrounding the trade policy of incoming US President Donald Trump limited any significant upward movement for the safe-haven JPY. Traders also seem hesitant ahead of Trump’s inauguration speech on Monday and the highly anticipated BoJ two-day policy meeting starting on Thursday.

From a technical perspective, Friday’s recovery from the support level marked by the lower boundary of the long-standing uptrend channel is slowing down near the 156.55-156.60 region. This area now serves as the immediate resistance, and a new short-sell position could allow the USD/JPY pair to reclaim the round number of 157.00.