Dollar set for strongest week since November, yen steadies before polls

SINGAPORE – The US dollar steadied near a two-week high on Friday, poised for its strongest weekly performance since November as a rout in stocks driven by AI-spending concerns rattled investors, while the yen firmed ahead of a national election on Sunday.

The dollar has strengthened since President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve Chair last week as markets expect him not to push a lot for rate cuts, easing some worries about central bank independence.

The sharp selloff in technology stocks this week comes as investors fret about the massive spending on artificial intelligence as well as the cascading impact of fast-advancing AI tools that could upend various sectors.

The risk aversion has helped the dollar despite US Treasury yields sliding after economic data pointed to a weaker-than-expected jobs market ahead of next week’s highly anticipated payrolls report for January.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six other units, was at 97.961, hovering near the highest since January 23. The index is set for a 1% increase for the week, its steepest rise since the middle of November.

ING economists said an apparent slowdown in hiring suggests the Fed may have acted a little prematurely in downplaying the risks to the jobs aspect of its mandate at its January policy meeting.

“Major downward revisions to payrolls next week would add to the pressure to eventually resume rate cuts,” they said in a note. Traders are still pricing in two cuts for the year, but the possibility of a move in June has inched up.

The euro was at USD 1.1784 after the European Central Bank left interest rates on hold as expected on Thursday and played down the impact of dollar moves on its future decisions.

Sterling was nursing steep losses in early Asian hours and stood at USD 1.3520 after dropping nearly 1% in the previous session.

The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold on Thursday, but only after an unexpectedly narrow 5-4 vote, and said borrowing costs are likely to fall if an expected drop soon in inflation is sustained.

The yen JPY= was a shade stronger in early trading at 156.74 ahead of a national election over the weekend, where a victory for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi could be on the cards.

The vote has investors on edge because fiscal worries have sparked a stomach-churning selloff in the currency and bond markets, and a further leg lower would likely reverberate globally.

“An outsized victory will reduce near-term constraints on Takaichi’s fiscal policy goals, including reducing the consumption tax,” said Samara Hammoud, a currency strategist at CBA.

“Importantly, it still remains unclear how Takaichi plans to pay for expansionary fiscal policy. Renewed concerns about Japan’s burgeoning government debt will weigh on Japanese government bonds and the JPY.”

Gold and silver, which have become more volatile as a result of leveraged buying and speculative flows, have been rocked by steep selloffs this week. Silver was down 3% in early trading, on course for an 18% decline for the week.

In the crypto market, Bitcoin was choppy after hitting its lowest since October 2024. It was last at USD 63,273 after dropping to as low as USD 60,017.

(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Oil extends decline ahead of US-Iran talks

SINGAPORE – US crude futures extended their decline on Friday, on track for their first weekly drop in weeks, as concerns about supply disruption in the Middle East eased with investors focusing on the outcome of US-Iran nuclear talks in Oman later in the day.

Brent crude futures dropped 50 cents, or 0.74%, to USD 67.05 a barrel at 0102 GMT after settling 2.75% lower in the previous session.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was at USD 62.77 a barrel, down 52 cents or 0.82%, after closing 2.84% lower on Thursday.

The benchmarks are headed for their first weekly drop in more than a month and are down more than 3% from near six-month highs reached in late January when US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran.

Both countries agreed to hold talks in Oman on Friday amid heightened tensions as the US builds up forces in the Middle East and regional players seek to avoid a military confrontation that many fear could escalate into a wider war.

About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran. Other OPEC members, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq, export most of their crude via the strait, as does Iran.

“Escalating geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran have contributed to higher oil prices,” Capital Economics analysts said in a note.

“But we think that geopolitical fears will give way to weak fundamentals,” they said, pointing to a recovery in Kazakhstan’s oil output, which will help push oil prices lower towards USD 50 per barrel by end-2026.

(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Chris Reese and Thomas Derpinghaus)

Gold slips on firmer dollar, focus on geopolitics and US jobs data

Gold prices reversed course and slipped on Wednesday, as the dollar strengthened and investors booked profits after recent gains, while awaiting US jobs data and assessing geopolitical developments for fresh cues.

Spot gold was down 0.3% at USD 4,924.89 per ounce, as of 01:31 p.m. ET (1829 GMT) after rising as much as 3.1% earlier in the session. Prices rose 5.9% rise on Tuesday.

US gold futures for April delivery settled 0.3% higher at USD 4,950.80 per ounce.

US dollar index hovered at more than one-week high level, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for overseas buyers.

“We did see a turnaround in the dollar, and that strength put some pressure on gold,” said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures, adding that the market remains in a profit‑taking pullback from record highs and that the consolidation “is not quite over yet.”

Bullion slid more than 13% on Friday and Monday, its steepest two‑day sell‑off in decades, after hitting a record high of USD 5,594.82 on January 29.

On the geopolitical front, Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Friday, while US President Donald Trump held wide‑ranging discussions with China’s Xi Jinping ahead of an expected visit to China in April, following Xi’s virtual meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

US private job growth undershot expectations, with ADP data showing just 22,000 jobs added in January versus forecasts of 48,000.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics said the January employment report will be released on Feb. 11. The report had been postponed because of a temporary US government shutdown, which ended on Tuesday.

Investors currently expect at least two rate cuts in 2026.

Non-yielding bullion tends to perform better in low-interest-rate environments.

Goldman Sachs continues to see upside risk to its USD 5,400/oz gold forecast for December 2026, with further private‑sector demand a potential upside surprise.

Meanwhile, spot silver rose 1.3% to USD 86.08 an ounce on Wednesday. The white metal hit a month-low of USD 71.33 on Monday following a record high of USD 121.64 on Thursday last week, and up over 20% so far this year.

Spot platinum added 0.6% to USD 2,221.76 per ounce, while palladium gained 1.3% to USD 1,756.18.

(Reporting by Anmol Choubey and Sarah Qureshi in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Krishna Chandra Eluri)

Yields mixed as traders evaluate data, Warsh’s Fed impact

NEW YORK – US Treasury yields were mixed on Wednesday as traders waited on delayed US economic data and continued to evaluate the impact that incoming US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is likely to have on monetary policy.

The government’s closely watched jobs report for January has been pushed back to next Wednesday, from its previously scheduled release on Friday, due to a four-day partial government shutdown that ended on Tuesday.

In the meantime, the ADP’s national employment report on Wednesday showed that US private payrolls increased less than expected in January amid job losses in professional and business services as well as in manufacturing sectors.

Robert Tipp, chief investment strategist at PGIM Fixed Income, said the ADP data did not alter market expectations for two 25-basis-point cuts this year. “The risk for bonds is stronger US economic growth,” he said.

The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with Fed interest rate expectations, fell 1.5 basis points to 3.557%. The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes rose 0.3 basis points to 4.276%.

The yield curve between two- and 10-year notes steepened by around two basis points, to 71.7 basis points.

Traders in Fed funds futures are pricing in two 25-basis-point cuts this year on concerns about a weakening jobs market and on expectations that Warsh will oversee a more dovish Fed when Jerome Powell’s term as chair ends in May.

However, stronger growth and a renewed uptick in inflation could complicate this outlook. Warsh has also argued for the Fed to reduce the size of its balance sheet, which would tighten financial conditions. He has said large Fed holdings distort finances in the economy.

“The story has been, you will tighten by shrinking the balance sheet, and you’ll ease by cutting rates. And then there’s a disagreement on the inflation picture … that AI is going to result in reduced inflation,” Tipp said.

“That has created a lot of uncertainty. Markets by and large have dealt with it by hunkering down and not moving very much,” he added.

Any shift in the Fed’s balance sheet policy would likely depend on changes to bank regulations and would be unlikely to occur in the short term, analysts said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that the independence of the Fed was based on Americans’ trust of the central bank, which it lost because it allowed inflation to get out of control and “ravage” their incomes.

Other data on Wednesday showed that the US services sector held steady in January but businesses paid more for inputs, suggesting that services inflation could pick up after a slowing trend in recent months.

The Treasury Department also said on Wednesday it does not expect to lift the size of auctions for notes and bonds for several more quarters, matching market expectations, as it outlined a USD 125 billion refunding for February to April 2026.

(Reporting by Karen Brettell; Editing by Alexander Smith and Edmund Klamann)

Wall Street ends down as AI worries slam tech stocks

US stocks ended lower on Wednesday, with losses in Advanced Micro Devices, Palantir, and other technology companies, as investors worried about pricey valuations and whether Wall Street’s AI rally has reached its peak.

Alphabet fell almost 2% ahead of its quarterly results after the bell. After the close, it regained 2% as the company said it was aggressively ramping up spending as it deepens its investments in the AI race.

Advanced Micro Devices tumbled 17% after the chipmaker forecast quarterly revenue that disappointed investors and suggested it is having a tough time competing against AI heavyweight Nvidia.

NVIDIA dropped 3.4%, and the PHLX semiconductor index fell 4.4%.

Palantir slumped almost 12%, reversing sharp gains from the previous day that were driven by the AI data company’s strong quarterly sales.

“The size of the infrastructure buildout is unprecedented, and the pace of consumers and businesses adopting AI tools is also unprecedented. The stock market is having a really hard time knowing where to price the stocks and what the future looks like. … The market is suddenly skeptical and concerned about it,” said Jed Ellerbroek, a portfolio manager at Argent Capital in St. Louis.

Some software companies added to recent losses amid worries that rapidly advancing AI could disrupt industry incumbents. Snowflake fell 4.6% and Datadog lost 3.3%.

“If you’ve got legacy software that’s old and clunky, you’re a ripe target for AI. We’re a bit bearish on software in general, with the whole impetus of AI,” said Josh Chastant, portfolio manager, public investments at GuideStone Funds.

Investors selling AI-related stocks shifted into less pricey companies that sat out the tech rally in recent years. The S&P 500 value index gained for a fifth straight session, while the S&P 500 growth index dropped.

The S&P 500 declined 0.51% to end the session at 6,882.72 points.

The Nasdaq fell 1.51% to 22,904.58 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.53% to 49,501.30 points.

Even as the S&P 500 lost ground, seven of the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes rose, led by energy, up 2.25%, followed by a 1.8% gain in materials.

Volume on US exchanges was heavy, with 24.6 billion shares traded, compared to an average of 19.9 billion shares over the previous 20 sessions.

Super Micro Computer’s shares jumped 13.8% after the company raised its annual revenue forecast on sustained demand for its AI-optimized servers as companies ramp up data center capacity.

Limiting losses in the S&P 500, shares of the drugmaker Eli Lilly rallied about 10% after the company forecast 2026 profit above Wall Street expectations.

The government’s closely watched jobs report for January has been pushed back from its scheduled release on Friday due to a four-day partial government shutdown that ended on Tuesday.

In the meantime, the ADP national employment report on Wednesday showed that US private payrolls increased less than expected in January amid job losses in the professional and business services, as well as the manufacturing sectors.

Advancing issues outnumbered falling ones within the S&P 500 by a 2.6-to-one ratio.

The S&P 500 posted 93 new highs and 23 new lows; the Nasdaq recorded 218 new highs and 318 new lows.

(Reporting by Pranav Kashyap and Twesha Dikshit in Bengaluru, and by Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar, Shinjini Ganguli, Krishna Chandra Eluri, and Aurora Ellis)

Oil prices extend gains on fears of escalating tensions in Mideast

TOKYO – Oil prices rose on Wednesday, extending the previous day’s gains, after the US shot down an Iranian drone and armed Iranian boats approached a US-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, rekindling fears of an escalation in tension between Washington and Tehran.

Brent crude futures were up 65 cents, or 1.0%, at USD 67.98 per barrel at 0111 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at USD 63.90 per barrel, up 69 cents, or 1.1%.

Both benchmarks rose nearly 2% on Tuesday.

The US military on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the US military said, in an incident first reported by Reuters.

Separately, in the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, a group of Iranian gunboats approached a US-flagged tanker north of Oman, maritime sources and a security consultancy said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tehran is demanding that its talks with the US this week be held in Oman not Turkey, and that the scope be narrowed to two-way negotiations on nuclear issues only, casting doubt on whether the meeting will proceed as planned.

“Heightened tensions in the Middle East provided support to the oil market,” said Satoru Yoshida, a commodity analyst with Rakuten Securities.

OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait of Hormuz, mainly to Asia. Iran was the third-biggest OPEC crude producer in 2025, according to US Energy Information Administration data.

Oil prices also found support from industry data that showed a sharp drop in US crude stockpiles. Inventories in the top producing and consuming nation fell over 11 million barrels last week, sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures.

Official data from the US Energy Information Administration is due on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT). Analysts polled by Reuters were expecting a rise in crude inventories.

On Tuesday, oil prices were also buoyed by a trade agreement between the US and India that raised hopes of stronger global energy demand, while continued Russian attacks on Ukraine added to concerns that Moscow’s oil would remain sanctioned for longer.

“India’s trade agreement with the US to halt purchases of Russian crude, along with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, is also providing support,” Yoshida said, projecting that WTI would likely continue to trade around USD 65 a barrel for now.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Sonali Paul)

Gold extends rally, jumps over 2% after best day since 2008

Gold prices climbed more than 2% on Wednesday, building on their best day since 2008 in the previous session, as bargain-hunting and a softer dollar supported bullion.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Spot gold was up 2.2% at USD 5,044.74 per ounce, as of 0112 GMT, after gaining 5.9% on Tuesday, its biggest daily gain since November 2008. Bullion scaled a record high of USD 5,594.82 last Thursday.

* US gold futures for April delivery climbed 2.7% to USD 5,067.0 per ounce.

* The dollar fell against most major currencies except the yen on Tuesday, as traders consolidated recent gains fuelled by upbeat US data and expectations of a less-dovish Federal Reserve.

* A weaker dollar makes greenback-priced bullion more affordable for holders of other currencies.

* US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a spending deal into law that ends a partial US government shutdown.

* The closely watched employment report for January will not be released this Friday because of the partial shutdown.

* Investors are ramping up bets on higher long‑dated Treasury yields and a steeper yield curve as incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is expected to press for interest rate cuts while shrinking the US central bank’s balance sheet.

* Investors expect at least two Fed interest rate cuts in 2026 and await ADP private payroll data later in the day for more cues into the Fed’s policy path. Non-yielding bullion tends to perform better in low-interest-rate environments.

* The current wave is expected to be sharp, probably to surge into the USD 4,950 to USD 5,198 range, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao said.

* Spot silver rose 2.1% to USD 86.92 an ounce. It touched a record high of USD 121.64 on Thursday.

* Spot platinum added 2.3% to USD 2,260.50 per ounce after hitting an all-time high of USD 2,918.80 on January 26, while palladium gained nearly 3% at USD 1,782.85.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0145	China Ratingdog Services PMI January
0850	France HCOB Composite, Services PMI January
0855	Germany HCOB Services PMI January
0855	Germany HCOB Composite Final PMI January
0900	EU HCOB Services, COmposite Final PMI January
0930	UK S&P Global PMI: Composite – Output January
0930	UK Reserve Assets Total January
1000	EU HCIP Flash YY January
1000	EU HCIP-X F, E, A, T Flash MM, YY January
1445	US S&P Global Comp, Svcs PMI Final January
1500	US ISM N-MFg PMI January

(Reporting by Ishaan Arora in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

Treasury yields dip as traders evaluate Fed policy speculation under Warsh

NEW YORK – US Treasury yields dipped on Tuesday as traders evaluated possible shifts in Federal Reserve policy under Kevin Warsh and as traders faced US economic data delays due to a partial government shutdown.

President Donald Trump on Friday chose Warsh to head the Fed when Jerome Powell’s leadership term ends in May. Warsh had a reputation as an inflation hawk in his earlier stint at the central bank, but now advocates for rates to be lowered.

Jason Pride, chief of investment strategy and research at Glenmede, sees the Fed likely to cut rates by 25 basis points two times this year, which is already largely being reflected in market pricing. The yield curve, meanwhile, is likely steepening on the view that Warsh may seek to reduce the size of the Fed’s balance sheet.

Warsh has argued that large Fed holdings distort finances in the economy. In a Wall Street Journal opinion story from November, he wrote “the Fed’s bloated balance sheet, designed to support the biggest firms in a bygone crisis era, can be reduced significantly.”

He has been “a strong advocate against the overuse of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet,” Pride said. Meanwhile, “his perspective on the front end is very much in line with the Federal Reserve’s policy up until now, and maybe even a little bit dovish relative to it.”

The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with Fed rate expectations, fell 0.2 basis points to 3.568%. The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes fell 1 basis point to 4.268%.

The yield curve between two-year and 10-year notes flattened by around half a basis point to 69.5 basis points after reaching 72.7 basis points on Monday, the steepest since April.

A sharp stocks selloff on Tuesday was seen as likely boosting safe-haven demand for US government debt.

Thomas Simons, chief US economist at Jefferies, however, notes that some market correlations have broken down in recent months, making it more difficult to pinpoint what is affecting specific asset classes, while markets such as precious metals have also seen extreme volatility.

“It feels like the market’s having a hard time assessing whether or not there is a kind of broad risk-off or risk-off tone at any given time because of all the crosscurrents,” Simons said.

Improving economic data has pushed back expectations on when the Fed will next cut rates to June, although a sharp slowdown in the labor market could bring rate-cut bets forward again.

The government’s closely watched employment report for January has been delayed due to the partial government shutdown. It had been scheduled for Friday.

The US House of Representatives narrowly approved a bipartisan deal that would end a partial US government shutdown on Tuesday and sent it on to President Trump to sign into law.

Pride sees the US economy as likely to post above-average growth in 2026 as the headwinds from tariff policies are reduced, while fiscal stimulus boosts growth. That could increase the risk of inflation picking up, which is likely to remain a focus for Fed officials, he said.

Rising productivity is helping businesses ease cost pressures, an aid in the US Federal Reserve’s inflation fight, but it is difficult to predict if that will persist and therefore hard to know how monetary policy might need to respond, Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin said on Tuesday.

Fed Governor Stephen Miran, meanwhile, continued to make the case for aggressive central bank interest-rate cuts this year, in an interview on Fox Business Network on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Karen Brettell; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Oil hovers near multi-month highs as Trump considers Iran strike

SINGAPORE – Oil prices are headed for their biggest monthly gains in years on Friday as tensions in the Middle East escalated over a possible US attack on Iran that could disrupt supplies from one of the biggest OPEC producers.

Brent crude futures fell 21 cents to USD 70.50 a barrel by 0139 GMT after rising 3.4% to close at its highest since July 31 on Thursday. The March contract expires later on Friday. The more active April contract slid 37 cents to USD 69.22.

US West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 39 cents to USD 65.03 a barrel after gaining 3.4% to settle at its highest since September 26 in the previous session.

Both benchmarks are set to post their first monthly gain in six months, with Brent up more than 16% to notch its biggest monthly jump since January 2022. WTI is on track to rise more than 14% in January, its biggest monthly gain since July 2023.

Tensions have escalated amid a US military buildup in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or face a US attack, drawing a threat from Tehran to strike back hard.

“This has resulted in added risk premium being built into the (oil) price as traders factor in possible disruptions to Iranian exports or Strait of Hormuz flows,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.

The Trump administration is hosting senior defence and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia for separate talks on Iran this week in Washington, according to two people familiar with the matter. US officials say Trump is reviewing his options but has not decided whether to strike Iran.

“Given elevated inflation and this year’s mid-term elections, we do not anticipate protracted oil supply disruptions,” JPMorgan analysts led by Natasha Kaneva said in a note.

“If military action does occur, we expect it to be targeted, avoiding Iran’s oil production and export infrastructure.”

Citi expects the United States and Israel to take restrained actions against Iran in the near term, including limited US actions and oil tanker seizures, citing a 70% probability for this outcome.

Disruptions in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Venezuela have affected a combined 1.5 million barrels per day of supply in January, JPMorgan analysts said, adding that the Arctic wave in the US is estimated to reduce crude and condensate output by 340,000 bpd this month.

Kazakhstan said on Wednesday it was restarting the huge Tengiz oilfield in stages, aiming to reach full production in a week after three unexplained electrical fires earlier this month impacted 7.2 million barrels of oil output.

Bad weather has hit Russian oil exports, while Venezuela was forced to cut production after US forces ousted the South American country’s President Nicolas Maduro early this month.

The country’s interim government approved on Thursday a sweeping reform of its main oil law. The Trump administration also broadly eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry on Thursday, all of which could raise Venezuela’s oil and gas output and encourage investments.

(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

Dollar poised for weekly slide as global tensions rise

TOKYO – The dollar was poised for a second straight weekly decline on Friday as tariff threats against countries trading with Cuba added to global tensions that have sapped demand for US assets.

The White House said that President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would impose tariffs on countries that provide oil to Cuba, adding to recent geopolitical strains involving Iran, Venezuela, Greenland, and Europe.

Reports that Trump is considering strikes against Iran prompted a surge in oil prices and weighed on the dollar index (DXY).

The US domestic front got a glimmer of hope from a deal in the Senate that would avert a partial government shutdown. In Japan, data showed inflation slowed in Tokyo but matched the central bank’s target.

“The DXY continued its downward trend, as Trump’s threats of military action in Iran added further pressure,” Mantas Vanagas, a senior economist at Westpac Group, wrote in a note.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.2% to 96.35, trimming its weekly slide to 1.1%.

The euro lost 0.2% to USD 1.194. The yen weakened 0.17% to 153.39 per dollar. Sterling fell 0.1% to USD 1.3791.

The dollar hit a four-year low earlier in the week after Trump seemed to shrug off the currency’s weakness, recovering slightly after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington has a strong-dollar policy.

Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, multiple sources said. Trump has described the ships in the region as an “armada” sailing to Iran.

The greenback ended last week with its biggest fall since last April, driven partly by concerns about US policy over Greenland.

The dollar found some support after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday against the backdrop of what US central bank chief Jerome Powell described as a solid economy and diminished risks to both inflation and employment.

The dollar slide has provided some reprieve for the battered yen. The Japanese currency has tracked around the 152 to 154 per dollar range for most of this week thanks to talk of rate checks from the US and Japan last week – a move often seen as a precursor to intervention.

Core consumer prices in Tokyo rose 2% in January from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, slowing from the previous month but matching the central bank’s target.

The Australian dollar weakened 0.2% versus the greenback to USD 0.7033. The kiwi fell 0.2% to USD 0.6066.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell 0.1% to USD 84,309.27, and ether declined 0.3% to USD 2,808.19.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift in Tokyo; Editing by Sam Holmes)

2024 Mid-Year Economic Briefing: Navigating the Easing Cycle

Investing with Love: A Mother’s Guide to Putting Money to Work

Investor Series: An Introduction to Estate Planning

January Economic Update: Growth slows, prices rise

Inflation Update: Up, up, and away?