Finance

GBPJPY Encounters Resistance, Trends Lower After Struggling to Overcome 50-day SMA

Published December 22, 2023

The British Pound to Japanese Yen (GBPJPY) currency pair has recently shown signs of indecision, wavering without a clear trend over the past couple of weeks. With technical indicators highlighting continued bearish momentum, the pair faces significant resistance and support from key moving averages, leading to a constricted trading pattern.

Resistance and Support from Moving Averages

In the realm of technical analysis, the 50- and 200-day simple moving averages (SMAs) are critical indicators that often represent short-term momentum and long-term trend strength, respectively. For the GBPJPY pair, these SMAs have formed a boundary, with the 50-day SMA capping the upside and the 200-day SMA providing a floor for the downside, leading to a range-bound movement that suggests a phase of consolidation.

Technical Oscillators Suggest Downward Pressure

Further insights into the pair's momentum are provided by the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), both of which remain entrenched in their respective negative zones. This alignment indicates that while the pair struggles to find a direction, there's potential for a downward shift, challenging recent support levels and possibly retesting lower thresholds established in preceding months.

Potential Outcomes for GBPJPY

On the downside, should selling pressure persist, the GBPJPY pair could reapproach its recent support at 179.80, and failing to hold that, it might eye the December low of 178.33, a level reinforced by proximity to the 200-day SMA. Looking beyond to further declines, the July low of 172.29 emerges as a potential barrier that could contain the downfall.

Conversely, an upward trajectory would face immediate resistance at the 50-day SMA marker of 184.00, an area that previously rebuffed attempts to advance. Clearing this hurdle could set the stage for a challenge of the August high at 186.75, opening a pathway back to the eight-year peak of 188.64.

In summary, the GBPJPY pair currently exhibits a subdued trading behavior, hesitating to break out from its current boundaries. The trading community is closely monitoring the pair's actions to determine whether this consolidation phase will lead to a break in either direction.

GBPJPY, Trading, Consolidation