USD/JPY off lows, still in the red below 109.00 mark post-US GDP
- USD/JPY remains under some selling pressure for the second straight day.
- The US GDP growth during Q4 2019 is estimated at 2.1% annualized pace.
- Sliding US bond yields, the risk-off mood might keep a lid on any strong gains.
The USD/JPY pair maintained its offered tone through the early North-American session, albeit managed to recovery around 10-15 pips from daily lows post-US macro data.
A fresh wave of the global risk-aversion trade on Thursday – amid concerns over the economic impact of the deadly coronavirus – boosted the Japanese yen's perceived safe-haven status and prompted some follow-through selling around the major.
The pair remained under pressure for the second consecutive session and retreated further from weekly tops set in the previous session. However, the intraday slide stalled ahead of 100-day SMA following the release of mostly in line US GDP growth figures.
The Advance US GDP report showed that the economic growth during the October-December quarter stood at 2.1%, unchanged from the previous quarter. The data extended some support to the US dollar demand and helped the pair to bounce back to the 109.00 neighbourhood.
It will now be interesting to see if the pair is able to capitalize on the attempted recovery move or meets with some fresh supply at higher levels. The recent slump in the US Treasury bond yields might undermine the USD demand and eventually cap any strong gains.
Hence, it will be prudent to wait for some strong follow-through buying, possibly back above 50-day SMA near the 109.20 region, before positioning for any further recovery for the major.
Technical levels to watch