The Japanese Yen remains trading within a tight range against the US Dollar on Wednesday. The pair moves without a clear bias, both sides of the 156.50 line, with traders looking from the sidelines ahead of the release of key US employment figures later on the day.
The market, however, remains calm ahead of the release of the US ADP Employment Change, which is expected to show that the US economy created 47,000 jobs in December, to offset the 32,000 net losses seen in November.
Later on, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release November’s JOLTS Job Openings, which are expected to have ticked down to 7.6 million from October’s 7.67 million. These figures will set the tone for Friday’s Nonfarm Payrolls report, and might provide some boost to USD volatility later on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, rising tensions between China and Japan escalated, as Beijing announced a ban on exports of dual-use goods to Japan that might be used for military purposes, in retaliation for Prime Minister Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan. This, coupled with Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Ueda’s comments reiterating the bank’s commitment to keep hiking rates, has provided some support to the Yen.
The Greenback lost ground earlier in the week, as weaker-than-expected US ISM Manufacturing PMI figures and some dovish-leaning comments by Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari endorsed the market’s view that the Fed might be forced to cut rates more than once in 2026.
Economic Indicator
ADP Employment Change
The ADP Employment Change is a gauge of employment in the private sector released by the largest payroll processor in the US, Automatic Data Processing Inc. It measures the change in the number of people privately employed in the US. Generally speaking, a rise in the indicator has positive implications for consumer spending and is stimulative of economic growth. So a high reading is traditionally seen as bullish for the US Dollar (USD), while a low reading is seen as bearish.
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Next release:
Wed Jan 07, 2026 13:15
Frequency:
Monthly
Consensus:
47K
Previous:
-32K
Source:
ADP Research Institute
Economic Indicator
JOLTS Job Openings
JOLTS Job Openings is a survey done by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to help measure job vacancies. It collects data from employers including retailers, manufacturers and different offices each month.
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Source: https://www.fxstreet.com/news/usd-jpy-wavers-around-15670-with-all-eyes-on-us-employment-data-202601071151
