Trading news

Atsushi Mimura, Japan’s Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs and top foreign exchange official, said on Friday that he had no comment on foreign exchange intervention and crude oil futures. Mimura added that the official is in close contact with the United States (US) on currency.

Japan Jibun Bank Manufacturing PMI registered at 55.1 above expectations (54.9) in April

US President Donald Trump complained about congressional efforts aimed at limiting his war powers, the latest of which the Senate rejected this afternoon. Trump was expected to hear about updated military options for Iran from Pentagon officials on Friday, CNN reported on Thursday.

The EUR/USD pair attracts some buyers to around 1.1730 during the early Asian session on Friday. The Euro (EUR) strengthens against the US Dollar (USD) after the European Central Bank (ECB) kept interest rates on hold at its April meeting. 

Ireland AIB Manufacturing PMI up to 54.9 in April from previous 53.7

Japan Foreign Investment in Japan Stocks dipped from previous ¥2380.9B to ¥807.9B in April 24

The headline Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) for February rose 1.5% YoY as compared to 1.4% in the previous month, the Statistics Bureau of Japan showed on Friday.

Japan Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food (YoY) came in at 1.5%, below expectations (1.8%) in April

Japan Tokyo Consumer Price Index (YoY) rose from previous 1.4% to 1.5% in April

Japan Tokyo CPI ex Food, Energy (YoY) dipped from previous 1.7% to 1.5% in April

Gold price (XAU/USD) edges higher to near $4,630 during the early Asian session on Friday. The precious metal extends the rally as renewed tensions in the Middle East have prompted traders to return to a safe-haven asset. 

GBP/USD rallied 0.96% on Thursday, settling near 1.3600 after a choppy session that saw cable test the 1.3455 area in the European morning before catching a sharp bid through the New York afternoon.

New Zealand ANZ – Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence dipped from previous 91.3 to 80.3 in April

USD/JPY plunged 2.25% on Thursday after a violent intraday reversal that wiped roughly 500 pips off the pair in just a few hours.

UOB’s Ho Woei Chen highlights Taiwan’s strong 1Q26 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) performance, driven by exports and improving domestic demand, and expects full-year 2026 growth to exceed 9%.

The Australian Dollar reclaimed the 0.7200 level on Thursday, surging more than 1% as the Greenback dropped to seven-day lows amid Japanese authorities’ intervention in the FX markets, pushing aside solid US economic data. The AUD/USD trades past 0.7200 after hitting a daily low of 0.7110.

Mexico Fiscal Balance, pesos fell from previous -50.733B to -110.1B in March

The US Dollar Index (DXY) declined sharply to around 98.10 on Thursday after data showed the United States (US) economy grew at a lower-than-expected pace in the first quarter and amid Japanese authorities' first intervention in the foreign exchange market in almost two years.

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) may operate in different economies, but this week’s meetings delivered a strikingly similar message: inflation risks are creeping back just as growth is losing momentum, giving some belief to the idea that a stagflationary scenario could

DBS Group Research economist Chua Han Teng expects the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to keep its policy rate at 1.00% through end-2026 as stagflationary pressures from Iran-related supply shocks hit growth and inflation.