The USD/JPY pair is seen extending the previous day's late pullback from the 161.80 region, or a fresh high since July 2024, and drifting lower during the Asian session on Friday.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil price edges lower during Friday's Asian trading hours, slipping to around $75.10 per barrel and reversing the modest gains recorded in the previous session.

Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Friday that the government is prepared to take decisive action against speculative activity in the foreign exchange market. 

The EUR/USD pair recovers some lost ground near 1.1460, snapping the two-day losing streak during the early Asian session on Friday.

Bank of Japan (BoJ) Deputy Governor Himino said on Friday that the Japanese central bank likely to keep hiking rates based on economic, price and financial trends. Himino added that currency moves may impact inflation expectations, core inflation, so we will keep monitoring developments closely. 

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) board members shared their views on the monetary policy outlook on Thursday, per the BoJ Minutes of the April meeting.    

The US-Iran interim peace deal took effect, and shipping started returning to the Strait of Hormuz as the US dropped its naval blockade of Iran, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

Japan National CPI ex Food, Energy (YoY) declined to 1.8% in May from previous 1.9%

Japan’s National Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 1.5% YoY in May, compared to the previous reading of 1.4%, according to the latest data released by the Japan Statistics Bureau on Friday.

Japan National CPI ex Fresh Food (YoY) meets expectations (1.4%) in May

Japan National Consumer Price Index (YoY) climbed from previous 1.4% to 1.5% in May

New Zealand Trade Balance NZD (MoM) registered at $800M, below expectations ($875M) in May

New Zealand Trade Balance NZD (YoY) fell from previous $-2.76B to $-3.36B in May

Gold price (XAU/USD) loses ground to near $4,210 during the early Asian session on Friday. The precious metal extends the decline after the US Federal Reserve (Fed) held interest rates steady in the June policy meeting but signaled rate hikes could come this year. 

Following months of crashing prices and macro-driven fragility, Ethereum saw mixed performance across key metrics in the first quarter of 2026, according to Token Terminal.

The Bank of England (BoE) delivered the hawkish hold the market expected on Thursday, and a second member of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) joined the push to raise the Bank Rate. Sterling fell anyway, sliding through the 1.3300 handle to its lowest level since early April, close to 1.3200.

United Kingdom GfK Consumer Confidence registered at -23 above expectations (-24) in June

New Zealand Exports increased to $8.88B in May from previous $8.62B

New Zealand Imports: $8.08B (May) vs $6.7B

The GBP/JPY retreats during the North American session on Thursday, down 0.21% as the Pound Sterling depreciates, despite the Bank of England (BoE) holding rates unchanged. At the time of writing, the cross-pair trades at 213.11 after peaking near 214.06.

The Federal Reserve Board, in conjunction with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), has proposed requiring permitted payment stablecoin issuer

South Korea Producer Price Index Growth (YoY) increased to 8.5% in May from previous 6.9%

South Korea Producer Price Index Growth (MoM) down to 0.8% in May from previous 2.5%

New Zealand Westpac Consumer Survey: 80.4 (2Q) vs previous 94.7

The US Dollar Index (DXY) firmed near 100.80 on Thursday, a level it hadn’t seen since May 2025, after the Federal Reserve (Fed) left interest rates unchanged in the 3.50%-3.75% range in Kevin Warsh’s first policy meeting as Fed Chair on Wednesday.

United States Net Long-Term TIC Flows came in at $103.1B, above forecasts ($75B) in April

United States Total Net TIC Flows down to $26.1B in April from previous $150.7B