Asian equity markets on Friday are significantly down as price hikes announced by Apple Inc. due to memory chip shortages have prompted fears of high inflation globally and concerns on earning projections of various companies that rely on these sophisticated chips for their final products.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the value of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, pares its recent losses from the previous day and is trading around 101.50 during the Asian hours on Friday.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gains ground for the second successive day, trading around $71.50 per barrel during the Asian hours on Friday.

Australia National Australia Bank's Business Confidence (QoQ) dipped from previous -4 to -19 in 2Q

Japan Tokyo CPI ex Food, Energy (YoY) up to 1.9% in June from previous 1.6%

The headline Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June rose 1.7% YoY as compared to 1.4% in the previous month, the Statistics Bureau of Japan showed on Friday.

Japan Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food (YoY) meets expectations (1.6%) in June

Japan Tokyo Consumer Price Index (YoY) increased to 1.7% in June from previous 1.4%

Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of New York President John Williams said in a speech released by text on Thursday that monetary policy remains “well positioned” for the current economy, while warning that inflation may take longer to return to the Fed’s 2% target than previously expected.

United Overseas Bank’s (UOB) Quek Ser Leang and Lee Sue Ann highlight a sharp USD/CNH spike to 6.8195, now seen consolidating between 6.8030 and 6.8185 on an intraday basis after an overdone rise.

Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said on Thursday that inflation remains the central challenge for policymakers, warning that price pressure is still moving in the wrong direction despite some signs of improvement in services.

The Bank of Mexico held its main reference rate unchanged at 6.50% as expected, unanimously, yet kept the balance of risks of inflation tilted to the upside…

Mexico Banxico Interest Rate Decision in line with forecasts (6.5%)

DBS Group Research economist Chua Han Teng expects the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to keep its policy rate unchanged at 1.00% through 2026, after a second consecutive on-hold decision.

United Overseas Bank’s (UOB) Quek Ser Leang and Lee Sue Ann keep a constructive view on USD/SGD after the pair briefly touched 1.2991 before closing near 1.2980.

United States 7-Year Note Auction down to 4.26% from previous 4.29%

United States 4-Week Bill Auction rose from previous 3.58% to 3.61%

UOB economists Enrico Tanuwidjaja and Sathit Talaengsatya note that the Bank of Thailand (BoT) kept its policy rate at 1.00% and is expected to hold this level through 2027.

MUFG highlights that strong earnings guidance from Micron Technology, a key AI memory supplier, has boosted sentiment in AI and tech stocks.

United States Kansas Fed Manufacturing Activity climbed from previous 9 to 19 in June

TradingKey - Na quinta-feira, no horário do Leste dos EUA, os dados de inflação de maio divulgados pelo U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) mostraram que o índice de preços PCE na comparação anual

United States EIA Natural Gas Storage Change registered at 76B above expectations (67B) in June 19

Commerzbank’s Bernd Weidensteiner and Christoph Balz describe the United States as a long‑term growth success, driven by population gains, immigration and productivity, but now facing a serious challenge from China.

Russia Central Bank Reserves $: $743.8B vs $729.3B

Commerzbank economists Bernd Weidensteiner and Christoph Balz review 250 years of US economic history, highlighting how persistent inflation has eroded the value of the Dollar and how federal debt has surged back to World War II highs.

According to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the final GDP Growth Rate showed the economy expanded by 2.1% in the January-March period. The readings show a marked increase from the prior quarter’s 0.5% expansion.

Durable Goods Orders in the United States (US) declined by 4.5%, or $15.6 billion, in May to $332.1 billion, the US Census Bureau reported on Thursday. This reading followed the 8.5% increase recorded in April and came in line with the market expectation.

United States Gross Domestic Product Price Index above expectations (3.5%) in 1Q: Actual (3.6%)

According to a report from the US Department of Labour (DOL) released on Thursday, the number of US citizens submitting new applications for unemployment insurance shrank to 215K for the week ending June 20.

United States Continuing Jobless Claims came in at 1.821M, above expectations (1.8M) in June 12