Japanese Yen remains on the front foot against USD, traders await Fed Chair Powell's testimony

• The Japanese Yen remains on the front foot against the USD, albeit lacks follow-through.
• The BoJ policy uncertainty is holding back the JPY bulls from placing aggressive bets.
• Subdued USD price action weighs on USD/JPY ahead of US data, Powell’s testimony.

The Japanese Yen (JPY) attracts some buyers for the second straight day on Wednesday, though lacks follow-through amid the uncertainty about the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) policy outlook. A rise in consumer prices in Tokyo – Japan's capital city – revived bets for an imminent shift in the BoJ's stance. That said, an unexpected recession in Japan might force the BoJ to delay its plan to pivot away from the ultra-easy monetary policy. This, in turn, is holding back bulls from placing aggressive bets, though a softer risk tone might continue to underpin the safe-haven JPY. 

The US Dollar (USD), on the other hand, remains on the defensive near a one-and-half-week low set on Tuesday and is weighed down by bets that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will start cutting rates in June. Traders, however, seem reluctant and prefer to wait for more cues about the US interest rate path. Hence, the focus remains on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony, starting this Wednesday. Apart from this, the US ADP report on private-sector employment, along with JOLTS Job Openings, might influence the buck and the USD/JPY pair. 

Daily Digest Market Movers: Japanese Yen draws support from renewed BoJ  rate-hike bets and softer risk tone

• Data released on Tuesday showed that the Tokyo CPI rebounded from a 22-month low in February and revived talks that the Bank of Japan will soon exit the negative interest rates regime, boosting the Japanese Yen.
• Moreover, investors seem convinced that another bumper pay hike this year should allow the BoJ to end its ultra-loose policy settings in the coming months, which, along with the risk-off impulse, benefitted the JPY.
• The BoJ, however, is unlikely to rush into a rate hike and might wait until the June policy meeting before tightening, especially after two consecutive quarters of economic contraction, resulting in a technical recession.
• According to sources, the BoJ is expected to revise down its assessment on consumption and factory output this month amid signs of weakness in the economy that underscore the fragile state of its recovery.
• The US Dollar is undermined by Tuesday's disappointing release of the US ISM Services PMI, which showed that growth in the non-manufacturing sector slowed a bit in February amid a decline in employment.
• The markets, however, are still pricing in the possibility of the first interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in June, which helps limit the downfall in the US Treasury bond yields and act as a tailwind for the buck.
• Traders also seem reluctant to place aggressive directional bets and look to Fed Chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony for fresh cues about the rate-cut path, which should provide some impetus to the USD.
• Apart from this, Wednesday's release of the ADP report on private-sector employment and JOLTS Job Openings data should contribute to producing short-term trading opportunities around the USD/JPY pair.

Technical analysis: USD/JPY bulls not ready to give up yet, overnight swing low around 149.20 holds the key

From a technical perspective, the USD/JPY pair has been oscillating in a familiar band over the past three weeks or so. Against the backdrop of a rally from the December swing low, this might still be categorized as a bullish consolidation phase and supports prospects for an eventual break to the upside. Moreover, oscillators on the daily chart are holding in the positive territory and validate the constructive outlook. That said, it will still be prudent to wait for acceptance above the 150.75-150.85 resistance zone, or the YTD peak touched in February, before positioning for any further appreciating move. Some follow-through buying beyond the 151.00 mark will reaffirm the positive bias and lift the USD/JPY pair to the 151.45 hurdle. The upward trajectory could extend further towards the 152.00 neighbourhood, or a multi-decade peak set in October 2022 and retested in November 2023.

On the flip side, the overnight swing low, around the 149.70 area, could protect the immediate downside ahead of the 149.20 region, or last week's trough. This is followed by the 149.00 mark, which if broken decisively might shift the near-term bias in favour of bearish traders and prompt aggressive technical selling. The subsequent downfall could drag the USD/JPY pair to the 148.30 support en route to the 148.00 mark and the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), currently pegged near the 147.75 region.