GBP/JPY loses footing at the 82.00 handle and shifts lower

• Sterling walks back against safe haven Yen as markets sour on Middle East tensions.
• GBP/JPY sees speeches from both respective central bank's chiefs today.

The GBP/JPY lost ground on Wednesday, ending a six-day winning streak as markets retreated on Middle East concerns. The pair is trading near 151.50 after failing to capture the 152.00 handle yesterday.

The Sterling popped briefly following UK manufacturers reporting that export sales expanded by the fastest rate since 2014, but dropped back when the UK RICS Housing Price Balance for March was a non-starter, printing a 0 percent compared to the forecast 2 percent.

The rest of the Asia session will remain quiet except for a speech from the Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda, and the Sterling will see a speech from the Bank of England's Carney late Thursday at 19:00 GMT.

GBP/JPY levels to watch

Wednesday's decline has put in a new high, and the challenge for bulls will be to continue pushing higher, clearing the new challenge at 152.25, with the year's high further up at 156.60, while a bearish continuation will run into support from the 34 EMA at 149.80 and the 200-day SMA at 148.65.