
USD/JPY Steady Ahead of BoJ Interest Rate Decision
The USD/JPY pair formed a doji candle during the trading session on Thursday, December 19th. Despite forming a bearish candle, the open and close prices differed only by tens of pips. The price opened at 155.662, a high of 155.977, a low of 155.285, and closed at 155.584.
The key fundamental analysis focus today is the BoJ interest rate decision. The market is currently anticipating a 25 basis point rate hike from 0.50% to around 0.75%. If the BoJ does raise interest rates and makes a firm, hawkish statement regarding further hikes in 2026, the Japanese yen could potentially strengthen sharply, putting downward pressure on the USD/JPY.
Recent comments by BoJ officials ahead of the meeting indicate a marked shift towards a hawkish policy stance. In his final speech and comments, Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that the chances of sustainably achieving the inflation target have gradually increased. He emphasized that if economic and price data align with the Bank of Japan's forecasts, they will continue to raise interest rates.
Ueda also highlighted that Japan's strong wage growth trend provides a foundation for stable household consumption, despite rising prices.
The Tankan survey results showed strong optimism, with business sentiment among major Japanese manufacturers reaching its highest level in four years. Senior BoJ officials noted that despite concerns about global trade policy, Japanese companies are seeing resilient demand, particularly in the high-tech sector. This gives the BoJ the green light to raise interest rates without overly worrying about stifling economic growth.
Officials' comments implied that today's hike would not be the last, but they also noted that the pace of future rate hikes will depend heavily on the economy's response to the hike. The BoJ remains mindful of financial market volatility, particularly extreme fluctuations in the yen, as these affect import costs and inflation in Japan.
Meanwhile, the Fed recently cut its interest rate by 0.25% from 4.00% to around 3.75%. Although the yield differential still favors the USD, the downward trend in US interest rates and rising interest rates in Japan is narrowing the gap, which, in theory, weakens the USD/JPY. Current market sentiment is experiencing an unwinding of the carry trade, meaning the closing of Yen borrowing positions for risky assets, which is adding selling pressure on USDJPY, ahead of the BoJ announcement.
Currently, the DXY, which measures the USD's performance against six major currencies, is slightly up at 98.441. US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, which was delayed due to the government shutdown, was released earlier with lower-than-expected results. Annual CPI fell to 2.7%, lower than the 3.1% forecast. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, fell to 2.6%, its lowest level since 2021.
Unemployment claims, part of the labor market data, show stable but slowing conditions. There were 224,000 new applications, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's 237,000.
Today's USDJPY price forecast: strong support around 150.00, with immediate support around 152.50. Strong resistance around 157.48, and immediate resistance around 156.00.

















