EUR/JPY found some immediate support at the lower boundary of the channel around 180.70, attempting a modest recovery after posting two days of losses. The currency cross was spotted trading around 181.50 during the Asian hours on Friday, though technical analysis of the daily chart indicates that the pair remains firmly entrapped within a descending channel pattern, signalling an ongoing bearish bias in the broader technical structure.
The near-term outlook for the EUR/JPY cross continues to lean toward the downside, as the currency pair remains positioned below both the nine-day and 50-day Exponential Moving Averages. Having pulled back from recent highs, prices remain suppressed beneath this clustered dynamic resistance zone. Meanwhile, the 14-day Relative Strength Index is hovering just above the 30 mark, pointing to lingering downside pressure even as the pair approaches oversold territory.
Should the downward momentum persist, the EUR/JPY cross may retest immediate support at the lower boundary of the descending channel around the 180.70 region. A decisive break below this channel boundary would significantly reinforce the bearish bias, placing severe downward pressure on the cross and potentially forcing it toward the nine-month low of 179.37 recorded on August 3.
Conversely, in the event of an upside reversal, the EUR/JPY cross faces its initial barrier at the nine-day EMA of 183.74, with the subsequent resistance lying at the 50-day EMA of 184.56. Additional selling pressure or strong resistance can be found near the upper boundary of the descending channel around 185.80. A sustained break above this upper channel line could provide the necessary impetus for the currency cross to target its all-time high of 187.95 set on April 17.
Market strategists at Scotiabank have drawn attention to a sharp rebound mounted by the Yen against the Dollar, noting that the Japanese currency advanced by a striking 1.5% against the greenback. This move built upon impressive mid-week gains that quickly triggered renewed speculation regarding the possibility of official market intervention by authorities. Analysts point out that this latest appreciation extends the recent wave of Yen strength, reinforcing market chatter that Japanese regulators may be edging closer to direct action if currency movements turn disorderly.
Broader market dynamics show varying trends across major currencies, with the Euro demonstrating considerable strength against the Japanese Yen specifically. Elsewhere across the global currency markets, the USD/JPY pair retested its August monthly swing low during the Asian session as hawkish repricing of Bank of Japan rate-hike bets and suspected intervention continued to support the Yen. Meanwhile, the US Dollar consolidated prior losses amid soft US bond yields while traders awaited critical labor market data.
Other major assets experienced similar consolidation phases during the Friday Asian session. The AUD/USD pair held steady above the 0.7200 threshold near mid-May highs while awaiting further policy cues from Federal Reserve trajectories, while gold consolidated previous gains below the $4,500 mark. In the energy sector, the US diesel crack spread recently crossed a major milestone by surging past $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record peak just above $102.00.
