EUR/USD
1.13706
-0.246%
Gold
3323.59
-0.577%
Oil
62.320
0.638%
USD/JPY
142.885
0.716%
GBP/USD
1.32415
-0.037%
GBP/JPY
189.159
0.746%
Real-time News
At the close of Hong Kong stocks, the Hang Seng Index closed up 1.61%, the Hang Seng Tech Index closed up 1.90%, and consumer stocks continued to perform well in the afternoon, with Mixue Group (02097.HK) closing up 6.14%.April 17, Trump wants the yen to strengthen against the dollar, which will almost certainly be included in the ongoing U.S.-Japan trade talks in Washington, but analysts say any efforts to influence the exchange rate are fraught with risks for both sides. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato will hold talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Bensont when he arrives in Washington next week for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, when the exchange rate issue may become an issue. Analysts warn that any agreement on the level of the U.S.-Japan exchange rate is inherently tricky. If Tokyo tries to force the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates faster, it may push up the yen, but it may stifle the nascent economic recovery and undermine the idea of central bank independence. Japanese officials can also sell dollars in exchange for yen, but this means that Japan will withdraw billions of dollars in U.S. debt investments at a time when the market is particularly fragile. Citi believes that if the Trump administration intends to coordinate the devaluation of the dollar to improve the global competitiveness of the United States, Japan will become the primary target, a proposal known as the "Mar-a-Lago Agreement." "Right now, we dont see the Mar-a-Lago deal as a specific risk," said Osamu Takashima, a foreign exchange strategist at Citigroup. However, he said, "in such situations, countries such as Japan that have large foreign exchange reserves and undervalued currencies tend to become targets."Intel (INTC.O) fell nearly 1% in premarket trading.Futures News, April 17, Singapore Enterprise Development Board (ESG): Singapores middle distillate oil inventories rose by 364,000 barrels to a three-week high of 9.714 million barrels in the week ending April 16.Futures News, April 17, Singapore Economic Development Board (ESG): Singapores light distillate oil inventories fell by 1,478,000 barrels to a 19-week low of 14.492 million barrels in the week ending April 16.
