The Japanese Yen (JPY) maintained its positive bias against the broadly weaker US Dollar (USD) and dragged the USD/JPY pair down for the fourth straight day, to a fresh weekly low during the Asian session on Friday (5/16). The JPY's intraday strength seemed unaffected by the release of disappointing Japanese Q1 GDP data amid growing acceptance that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will raise interest rates again in 2025. Moreover, hopes for an eventual US-Japan trade deal turned out to be another factor lending some support to the JPY. The US Dollar (USD), on the other hand, continued to struggle...
The dollar fell alongside U.S. Treasury yields on Friday after a surprise downside in U.S. economic data this week reinforced bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. The week started with a mix of market drivers, led by a U.S.-China trade truce that pushed the dollar higher, although the euphoria soon wore off and the currency traded sideways. Most of the action in the foreign exchange market came from the dollar's moves against the South Korean won, where it fell sharply for a second straight day on news that Washington and Seoul were discussing a dollar/won...
Gold prices slipped more than 1% on Friday and were heading for their worst week in six months, as an overall higher dollar and a temporary U.S.-China trade agreement dented demand for the safe-haven metal among investors. Spot gold was down 0.9% to $3,210.19 an ounce as of 0933 GMT. Bullion has lost more than 3% so far this week and is set for its worst weekly performance since November 2024. U.S. gold futures fell 0.4% to $3,213.60. "We've gone through a week where there have been optimistic signals in terms of trade negotiations and we have seen the dollar appreciate on the course,...