Asian Currencies Muted as Dollar Firms Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
Gold Hits Record High as Investors Eye Fed Chair Powell’s Speech on Tariffs 
RBNZ Raises Interest Rate to 2.75%, Kiwi Dollar Slides 
Wall Street Falls as Treasury Yields Surge, Oil Rebounds on Iran Tensions 
Tech Stocks Surge in Asia; Experts Warn ‘Cooling AI Boom May Hit NVIDIA’s Gains Hard’ 
Fed Rate Hike Threatens Housing as U.S. Growth Leans on AI, Citi Says 
Japan Private-Sector Growth Slows as Domestic Demand Weakens 
Lithium Market Poised for Recovery Amid Supply Cuts and Rising Demand 
Yen Extends Gains as BOJ Rate Hike Bets Rise 
Yen Sinks as BOJ Rate Hike Fails to Impress Markets 
US, Japan and South Korea Back Taiwan Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
Australia GDP Beats Forecast, Boosting RBA Rate Hike Bets 
S&P 500 Rises Amid Cyclical Stock Gains, Inflation Data Looms 
U.S. 10-Year Treasury Yield Hits 2007 High as Fed Rate Hike Bets Rise 
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The yen experienced volatile trading after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised interest rates by 25 basis points at its policy meeting, aligning with market expectations. The currency settled at 156 per dollar, with investors awaiting BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda's briefing for further guidance on rate hikes.
Other currencies saw notable movements, with the euro inching up 0.08% to 162.71 yen and the pound gaining 0.17% to 192.99 yen. Japan's core consumer prices rose 3.0% year-on-year in December, the fastest pace in 16 months, adding inflationary pressure.
The Australian and New Zealand dollars surged following U.S. President Donald Trump's softer stance on China tariffs, revealed during a Fox News interview. The Aussie climbed to $0.6321, while the kiwi reached $0.5708, both hitting five-week highs. These currencies, proxies for the Chinese yuan, benefited alongside the yuan itself, which hit its strongest levels since December at 7.2450 per dollar onshore and 7.2519 offshore.
Trump’s comments also triggered a broad decline in the U.S. dollar, which fell 0.23% to 107.89 against a basket of currencies, marking its worst weekly loss in two months. The euro rose 0.24% to $1.0441, and sterling advanced 0.32% to $1.2391, with both on track for strong weekly gains. Market sentiment shifted as investors priced out tariff risk premiums from the dollar.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin climbed 0.51% to $103,648.55, and Ether gained 1.75% to $3,305.51, as Trump announced a cryptocurrency task force to regulate digital assets and explore a national crypto stockpile, signaling a significant policy shift.
