On Thursday, USD/JPY shows multidirectional dynamics, consolidating near the level of 149.50, close to the highs of early August. Investors prefer to refrain from active actions in anticipation of the publication of US retail sales data for September. Sales are projected to accelerate to 0.3% (from 0.1%), and excluding cars, they will remain at 0.1%. Data on the production activity of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve is also expected, where analysts predict an increase in the index from 1.7 to 3.0 points. Earlier, the index of production activity of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York fell sharply from 11.5 to -11.9 points, which turned out to be significantly lower than forecasts.
Today, data on industrial production in the United States will also be released, where a decrease of 0.2% is forecast after an increase of 0.8% in the previous month.
The published data from Japan put additional pressure on the yen. In September, exports fell by 1.7% after an increase of 5.5% in August, while imports fell to 2.1%, missing expectations for growth to 3.2%. This led to a reduction in Japan's trade deficit from 703.2 to 294.3 billion yen. Additionally, the index of activity in the service sector decreased by 1.1%, while analysts expected a fall of only 0.2%.
Technical indicators on the daily chart indicate uncertainty. The Bollinger Band indicator indicates a possible narrowing of the range, which reflects the short-term mixed dynamics. The MACD is trying to turn downwards, forming a sell signal. Stochastic also indicates a possible continuation of the downtrend in the near term.
It is recommended to open short positions when the price is fixed below the level of 149.12 with a target of 147.00. We will set the stop loss at the level of 150.00.
If the pair breaks above the 150.00 level, we will receive a buy signal with a target of 151.50 and a stop loss at 149.12.