USDJPY Trade Setup – High Confidence Long

High Confidence Long USDJPY Trade Setup Market Context and Bias: Recent shifts in fundamentals and sentiment provide a supportive backdrop for a long USD/JPY bias. Signs of easing U.S.-China trade tensions have improved the risk tone and undermined safe-haven demand for the Yen. At the same time, the Bank of Japan’s cautious stance (pausing on rate hikes) has limited Yen strength. Notably, USD/JPY rebounded ~2.7% off its April lows (from ~139.9 to ~143.7) as markets priced in a more hesitant BoJ outlook. This combination of reduced risk aversion and diverging policy expectations (Fed easing bets vs. delayed BoJ tightening) has helped shift momentum upward for USD/JPY. The long trade setup is thus aligned with both technical signals and an improving fundamental context in the near term. USDJPY Trade Setup; Pair Direction Entry Stop Loss Take Profit Rationale Confidence Reason USD/JPY Buy on pullback 144.40 – 144.60 143.75 145.90 / 147.00 USD/JPY continues to trade like a risk proxy rather than a rate-sensitive pair. Correlation with equities and crypto remains strong; a break and retest of 144.00 confirms bullish structure. Momentum remains skewed upward. Strong technical breakout with back-test of 144.00 support; positive correlation to risk-on flows; limited BoJ policy tightening ahead. Supporting Analysis: Technical: USD/JPY broke out above the prior resistance at 144.00 and successfully back-tested the level, confirming a bullish structure. Momentum indicators like RSI (~50) and MACD are neutral, allowing upside extension. Resistance is layered at 145.90 (recent high) and 147.00 (61.8% retrace). Macro: Fed rate cut expectations persist despite a solid NFP print (177K), due to downward revisions, weak ISM data, and GDP contraction. DXY is capped below 100.00. Meanwhile, Japan’s dovish BoJ stance and slow wage growth limit yen upside. Sentiment: With USD/JPY strongly correlated to equities and Bitcoin, broader risk appetite (now improving on U.S.-China tariff negotiations) supports USD/JPY upside. Powell is expected to deliver a neutral FOMC message, reducing downside risk from the Fed. Positioning Risk: Yen safe-haven demand has softened. Market is unlikely to aggressively reprice yen strength unless trade negotiations deteriorate or U.S. data sharply disappoints. Technical Setup Details USD/JPY daily chart with key technical levels and indicators. Price has broken above the 144.00 resistance (now support), entering the long Entry Zone (yellow band) around 144.40–144.60. The trade is framed with a Stop below support at 143.75 (red dashed line) and Take-Profit targets at 145.90 and 147.00 (green lines). Technical indicators and Fibonacci retracements highlight confluence supporting the bullish setup. Key Levels and Entry/Exit Strategy Entry Zone: 144.40 – 144.60 – Going long in this zone, which sits just above the 144.00 breakout level. The 144 level was a notable hurdle (prior resistance) that the pair struggled with during its earlier decline. Now that it’s been decisively breached, 144.00 is expected to serve as support (i.e. resistance-turned-support). Entering on a mild pullback into 144.40–60 allows joining the upmove near this support. Stop Loss: 143.75 – Placed just below 144 support to protect against false breakouts. This stop is tight yet below the recent swing lows and technical thresholds. Interestingly, 143.75 aligns with the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement of the prior rally a deeper retracement level that should act as strong support if the bullish bias is correct. A drop back under ~144 into the 143s would negate the breakout, so 143.75 is a logical invalidation point. Take Profit 1: 145.90 – A first target just below the 146.00 area, capturing a solid reward before the next major resistance. This level is near the mid-145s, where the pair faces a cluster of technical barriers – notably the 200-day moving average (~145.3) and a prior pivot high (~145.5). Analysts flag ~145.50 as a key pivot that, if cleared, would invalidate the broader bearish trend. Thus 145.90 allows profit slightly beyond this pivot, anticipating a reaction around 146. Take Profit 2: 147.00 – A second target at the upper 140s, where bullish momentum would likely encounter heavy resistance. 147.00 coincides with the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of the previous downswing, making it a natural magnet for an extended move. This fib level adds technical confluence – many traders will watch ~147 as a significant barrier. Booking profits here is prudent, as 147 also represents a major resistance zone (beyond which the late-2024 highs near 150 would come into view). Trend Analysis (Moving Averages) The 50-period and 200-period moving averages are plotted on the chart to gauge trend direction. Notably, price is now back above the 50-day MA (which is rising from ~142 toward 143) while still slightly below the flat 200-day MA (~145.3). This configuration reflects a market in transition – the shorter-term trend is turning up, but the longer-term trend hasn’t fully reversed bearishness yet. The 50-day MA (blue) had been trending below the 200-day MA (orange) during the prior Yen-strength phase, underscoring the earlier downtrend. Now, the gap between them is narrowing as price recovers. A sustained rally through the mid-145s (our TP1 region) would likely put the price above the 200-day MA, confirming a trend reversal. In essence, the recent move above the 144 barrier and 50 MA suggests the pair has formed a near-term bottom and is staging a meaningful upside reversal. However, clearing the 200-day and the 145.5 pivot is key to invalidate the old downtrend fully – hence the stepwise take-profit approach at those milestones. Momentum Indicators (RSI & MACD) Momentum oscillators are neutral-to-bullish, supporting the case for further upside without immediate overbought conditions. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is hovering around the mid-50s, which indicates balanced momentum – neither overbought nor oversold. An RSI in the 50s suggests that the recent rebound has room to continue before hitting extreme levels; buying and selling pressures are relatively balanced, leaving scope for bulls to take control without an overextended condition. The MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) is showing early bullish signals: the MACD line has turned upward and crossed above its signal line from below, and the histogram has ticked up into positive territory (signaling building upside momentum). This “neutral-to-bullish” MACD...