USD/JPY holds losses after weak NFPs from the US

• US Dollar’s weakness continues after August Nonfarm Payrolls came in lower than expected, reflecting broader labor market concerns.
• Market expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut have risen, driven by signs of a slowing US labor market and softer job growth.
• The odds of a 50 bps cut in September by the Fed rose to nearly 50%.

The USD/JPY tallies 0.30% losses on Friday as the USD extends its broad weakness after soft Nonfarm Payrolls figures from the US.

The US Dollar’s appeal has weakened following a weaker-than-expected August Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report, which showed 142K new jobs, below estimates of 160K but above July’s revised 89K. The Unemployment Rate fell as expected to 4.2% from 4.3%. Other data showed that Average Hourly Earnings rose by 3.8% year-on-year, exceeding expectations.

This decline in labor market conditions, alongside disappointing JOLTS Job Openings and ADP Employment data, has fueled concerns about a slowing economy along the week and markets are getting confident about a bigger cut in September by the Federal Reserve (Fed). 

USD/JPY technical outlook

The USD/JPY outlook is negative as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovers near the oversold level of 30, signaling potential downward momentum which could eventually lead to a correction though. Additionally, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is printing higher red bars, reinforcing the bearish sentiment in the pair.

As stated, the pair saw four sessions of losses and could see an upward correction anytime soon.