Wall Street Ends Flat as Oil, Treasury Yields and Fed Jitters Rattle Markets 
Australia Unemployment Hits Five-Year High Despite Strong Jobs Growth 
US Comfortable With Canada Trade Standoff as Import Bans Loom 
Dollar Falls as Oil Eases, Yen Jumps on Intervention Signals 
Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets 
Asian Stocks Fall as Bond Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
US 10-Year Treasury Yield at 6% Emerges as New Market Risk Threshold 
Gold Holds Near $4,275 as Rising Treasury Yields Fuel Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Trump, Xi Focus on Trade and AI at White House Summit 
China’s ‘Lipstick King’ Says AI Won’t Replace Livestream Hosts 
Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act 
U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge 
Soybean Futures Slip as Traders Await Trump-Xi Trade Signals 
US Stock Futures Fall as Treasury Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 
Japan Private-Sector Growth Slows as Domestic Demand Weakens 
Asian Currencies Mixed as Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High 
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The U.S. dollar held firm on Monday, with investors bracing for a crucial week of central bank meetings led by the Federal Reserve. Trading was thin in Asia due to a Japanese holiday, keeping most currencies within tight ranges.
The euro dipped 0.09% to $1.1724 after Fitch downgraded France’s credit rating to AA-, its lowest level on record. Despite concerns over political instability and mounting debt, markets largely brushed off the move. Analysts noted that focus remains on upcoming interest rate decisions in the U.S., Japan, the U.K., Canada, and Norway.
The dollar index steadied at 97.65 as markets await the Fed’s policy announcement on Wednesday. Expectations of a 25-basis-point cut are fully priced in, though some analysts suggest a surprise 50-basis-point move could weaken the greenback significantly. Investors will closely monitor the Fed’s “dot plot” and Chair Jerome Powell’s guidance for signals on the pace of future easing.
Sterling held near $1.3554, while the Australian dollar hovered close to a 10-month high at $0.6652. The yen strengthened slightly to 147.56 per dollar ahead of the Bank of Japan’s meeting, with Governor Kazuo Ueda’s comments expected to guide sentiment. Analysts at MUFG said the yen’s weakness could reverse if the BOJ signals a potential rate hike as early as next month.
Elsewhere, the New Zealand dollar eased 0.03% to $0.5953, while the offshore yuan stayed steady at 7.1230 per dollar. Meanwhile, U.S. and Chinese officials wrapped up the first day of trade talks in Madrid, focusing on tariffs and Washington’s pressure over Chinese imports of Russian oil, alongside concerns about TikTok’s future in the U.S.
