• The GBP/JPY trimmed into median bids with Japanese inflation preview on Friday.
• UK sees GfK Consumer Confidence to end the trading week.
• Guppy entrenched in rangebound pattern.

The GBP/JPY strung along the midrange on Thursday, trading on the low side of the 188.00 handle as markets gear up for Japan’s Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation print early Friday.

It was a light week on the economic calendar for the Pound Sterling (GBP), but Wednesday’s UK Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) figures broadly came in above expectations, helping to keep the GBP bid heading into the back half of the trading week.

Japan’s Tokyo CPI inflation print on Friday is expected to moderate for January, with the Core Tokyo CPI forecast to tick down to 1.9% from 2.1% for the year through January as Japanese inflation continues to slow from last January’s YoY peak of 4.3%.

Headline YoY Tokyo CPI in January last printed at 2.4%, with Core-Core Tokyo CPI (headline inflation less fresh food and energy prices) likewise expected to come down from the previous period’s 3.5%.

On the UK side, GfK Consumer Confidence in January is expected to tick up slightly to -21 from December’s -22.

Next week sees mostly mid-tier data for both the UK and Japan, but traders will be gearing up for the Bank of England’s (BoE) next showing slated for next Thursday