In the morning of yesterday's Tokyo session the USDJPY trended downward, but after setting a low of 149.24 at around GMT 02:30 the price started to rise, and following the announcement of economic figures during the New York session the market fluctuated around the high end of the 149-yen range.

Multiple economic indicators for the U.S. were announced at GMT 12:30. Retail sales for September, the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index for October, and initial jobless claims for the previous week all came in with good figures, and the USDJPY subsequently surpassed 150 yen. At around GMT 19:00 the market reached a high of 150.32, and trading for the day closed at 150.19.

Today the USDJPY trended downward for the first half of the Tokyo session, falling below the 150-yen level.

Looking at the daily chart of the USDJPY (as of GMT 03:35 on October 18), despite having broken above the round number of 150 yen, trading has straddled this level rather than accelerating upward.

(20-period Bollinger Band, showing ±1 and ±2 standard deviations)

Today's main economic indicators are as follows.

• GMT 12:30 U.S. September Housing starts
• GMT 12:30 U.S. September Building permits