Forex and Bitcoin news for Asia trading Tuesday 20 March 2018
- Responses to the RBA minutes coming in
- RBA minutes repeats rising AUD would slow economy pick up, inflation
- Australia - Q4 2017 house price index: +1.0% q/q (expected flat at 0.0% change q/q)
- Analyst on BOJ: Everything points to ... early end of ultra-expansionary monetary policy
- Japan - Reuters Tankan: March manufacturing index down 1 pt m/m, Services +2
- Trump admin pressing countries to ally with US in push against Chinese trade
- US President Trump said to be preparing $60bn China tariffs by Friday
- More from France's Le Maire - comments on cryptocurrencies
- More from France's Le Maire - comments on Brexit
- New Zealand - Q1 2018 consumer confidence: 111.2 (prior 107.4)
- Moody's Liquidity-Stress Indictor fell back to record-low in mid-March
- France's Le Maire says want avoid a trade war with the US
- Trade ideas thread - Tuesday 20 March 2018
Not a huge amount of currency movement to report, but it is Asia trade after all. USD/JPY dropped under 106 by just a handful of points during the Tokyo morning before popping back up again and towards 106.30. There was little in the way of substantive news (there was some data - Reuters Tankan - but this seemed non-impactful). Japan's trade minister raised the likelihood of exemptions for the country to US tariffs. I can't see how this would have been a yen weakener, but there you go.
EUR/USD traded around a 20 point range, not troubling its overnight high but not dropping away too much either. Cable, a 20-odd point range also. USD/CHF is little net changed at all.
After a minor wiggle for AUD/USD ... little change. RBA minutes for the March meeting contained no surprise, familiar themes were covered (see bullets above). NZD/USD - little change also.
After the good-size moves in EUR and GBP on Monday Europe/US times, a relatively subdued session for Asia FX.
There is some interest coming up later though ... Still to come:
- Data from Japan (likely not to shift the FX though if you don't want to click)
- Heads up for yen traders - the new BOJ dep govs will hold a press conference later today (0830 GMTGMT))
- GBP traders - heads up for UK inflation today due Tuesday (0930GMT)
- NZD traders - heads up for the GDT auction due Tuesday London time (from 1200 GMT)
- Option expiries to note for Tuesday 20 March 2018 at the 1400GMT cut
- Heads up for large FX option expiries on Wednesday 21 March 2018
