The yen shot to a 2-1/2 month high on Friday on the back of a jump in Japanese inflation, while the dollar was set for a third weekly drop in a row as traders calculated the start of Donald Trump's second term has been mostly bluster on the tariff front. The yen broke through chart resistance at 150 per dollar overnight and it strengthened as far as 149.285 per dollar in the Asia morning after Japan recorded core inflation running at its fastest pace for 19 months in January. The euro was up 0.8% overnight and was steady in Asia at $1.0498 with traders awaiting an election in Germany on...
The Australian Dollar (AUD) edges lower against the US Dollar (USD) following the release of Judo Bank's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) on Friday. However, the AUD/USD pair saw gains after US President Donald Trump announced potential progress in trade negotiations with China, easing market concerns over tariffs.Australia's Judo Bank Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.6 in February, up from 50.2 in January. The Services PMI improved to 51.4 from 51.2, while the Composite PMI edged up to 51.2 from 51.1. Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock cautioned that easing monetary policy...
Oil prices extended gains on Friday, headed for a weekly increase, as falling inventories of U.S. gasoline and distillate raised expectations of solid demand while concerns over supply disruptions in Russia lent support. Brent futures climbed 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $76.64 a barrel by 0123 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude edged up 17 cents, or 0.2%, to $72.65. Both benchmarks were set for a weekly gain of about 3%. U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose while gasoline and distillate inventories fell last week as seasonal maintenance at refineries led to lower processing, the Energy...