The USD/JPY pair is currently experiencing a downward trend, with the pair extending its retracement slide from the year-to-date peak levels just above the 145.00 psychological mark. The bearish sentiment surrounding the US dollar is primarily due to speculation that the Federal Reserve (Fed) is nearing the end of its policy tightening cycle. The US employment details and the New York Fed’s monthly survey have indicated that the economy added the fewest jobs in 2.5 years in June and the one-year consumer inflation expectation dropped to 3.8% in June, the lowest level since April 2021. This could allow the US central bank to soften its hawkish stance, leading to a further decline in the US Treasury bond yields and dragging the USD to a two-month low.

On the other hand, the Japanese yen is drawing support from the recent rise in the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond (JGB) yield to a 10-week high and expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will adjust its policy in July. However, the BoJ has ruled out the possibility of any change in ultra-loose policy settings and signaled no immediate plans to alter the yield curve control (YCC) policy.

The USD/JPY pair is currently trading around the 140.70-140.65 region, marking the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level of the May-June rally. A convincing break below this level will set the stage for an extension of the ongoing corrective decline. On the flip side, any meaningful recovery back above the 141.00 mark might confront some resistance near the 141.30-141.40 area.