- During Thursday’s trading session, the bears’ control over the USD/JPY pair increased, with losses extending to the 146.80 support level.
- This is the lowest for the pair in over three weeks, before stabilizing around 147.25 at the time of writing.
- The pair’s losses increased as investors flocked to safe-haven assets after US President Donald Trump announced comprehensive reciprocal tariffs, raising fears of a devastating global trade war.
Trump imposed additional tariffs of 34% on China, bringing the total tariffs to 54%. Other major economies facing hefty tariffs include the European Union (20%), Japan (24%), India (26%), in addition to a base tariff of 10% on imports from all countries. Earlier this week, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda warned that the new US tariffs could significantly impact global trade and economic growth. While the Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates again later this year, uncertainty about global trade and domestic economic conditions continues to overshadow the outlook.
Trading Tips:
We still recommend buying the US dollar against the Japanese yen, but without risk, spreading your trading amount across multiple levels, and monitoring the factors affecting the currency pair’s performance.
Japanese Stocks Negatively Affected by Trump’s Tariff Announcement
During today’s trading session and across stock trading platforms, the Nikkei 225 index fell 2.77% to close at 34,736 points, while the Topix index fell 3.08% to 2,569 points. Japanese stocks fell to their lowest levels in several months after US President Donald Trump announced comprehensive reciprocal tariffs, raising fears of a global trade war that could destabilize major economies.
Trump imposed 24% tariffs on Japanese goods, along with a 25% tariff on auto imports, dealing a severe blow to the Japanese auto industry. In response, Japanese Trade Minister Yuji Muto stated that his country would continue to request an exemption, announcing the formation of a task force to assess the impact of the US tariffs.
According to trading, all sectors declined, with heavy losses among the index’s leading companies, such as Mitsubishi UFJ (-7.2%), Toyota (-5.2%), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (-7.1%), Nintendo (-3.3%), and Advantest (-4.5%). In corporate news, Nissan shares fell 3.7% after reports confirmed it had suspended part of its production line in Mexico as previously planned.
Bank of Japan Governor Warns of Global Trade Risks
This week, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda warned that the new US tariffs could have a significant impact on global trade and economic growth. In his speech to the Japanese parliament, Ueda stressed the uncertainty surrounding the potential effects of reciprocal tariffs on trade flows, business sentiment, and inflation. The new tariffs, which take effect on April 3, include 25% tariffs on car imports. These tariffs are in addition to existing US tariffs on aluminium and steel, and higher tariffs on all Chinese imports.
Ueda intends to raise these concerns at the upcoming G20 meeting, where US trade policies and their implications will be a major point of discussion. Analysts indicate that the economic fallout could influence the Bank of Japan’s interest rate decision, with a rate hike expected in the third quarter of 2025, possibly in July.
USD/JPY Technical analysis and Expectations Today:
According to the daily chart performance, the bears’ control over the USD/JPY pair is strengthening, and recent losses may push some technical indicators towards strong oversold levels, led by the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the MACD indicator. Therefore, we recommend considering buying from the support levels of 146.70, 145.80, and 145.00, respectively. Conversely, on the same timeframe, the 152.00 resistance will remain the most important for the bulls to take control of the USD/JPY trend. Technically, the pair will continue to lean downwards until the reaction to the US jobs data announcement tomorrow, which will have an impact on market expectations for the future of the US Federal Reserve’s policies.
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