According to the China National Bureau of Statistics's (NBS) statistician, the economy is facing external challenges, but internal driving forces remain unchanged and solid.
AUD/USD loses ground for the third consecutive day, trading around 0.7130 during the Asian hours on Monday. The pair depreciates following key economic data from Australia’s close trading partner, China.
The USD/CAD pair trades with a positive bias above mid-1.3700s during the Asian session on Monday, though it remains below a one-month top touched last Friday.
The NZD/USD pair trades in negative territory around 0.5830 during the Asian trading hours on Monday. The New Zealand Dollar (NZD) faces some selling pressure following the downbeat Chinese economic data.
China’s Retail Sales rose 0.2% year-over-year (YoY) in April vs. 2.0% expected and 1.7% in March, the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday.
Silver price (XAG/USD) extends its losses for the third successive day, trading around $74.20 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Monday. India has immediately curbed nearly all Silver imports to reduce shipments and ease pressure on the Indian Rupee.
The GBP/USD pair adds to last week's heavy losses and remains under some selling pressure for the fifth consecutive day on Monday. Spot prices drop to the 1.3300 mark, or the lowest level since April 8, during the Asian session and seem vulnerable amid a broadly firmer US Dollar (USD).
On Monday, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) sets the USD/CNY central rate for the trading session ahead at 6.8435 compared to Friday's fix of 6.8415 and 6.8086 Reuters estimate.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials said that a drone strike had triggered a fire near its nuclear power station, calling the incident a "dangerous escalation,” Reuters reported on Sunday.
USD/JPY extends its gains for the sixth successive day, trading around 158.90 during the Asian hours on Monday. The US Dollar (USD) gains value against other currencies because the US Federal Reserve (Fed) is shifting toward a more aggressive stance on inflation.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) – the benchmark US Crude Oil price – attracts buyers for the third consecutive day and climbs to a two-week high during the Asian session on Monday.
The EUR/USD pair trades in negative territory around 1.1615 during the early Asian session on Monday. The Euro (EUR) extends the decline as the prolonged US-Iran conflict weighs on the riskier assets.
Gold price (XAU/USD) declines to around $4,535 during the early Asian trading hours on Monday. The precious metal remains on the defensive as heightened inflation concerns, due to the conflict in the Middle East, reinforce bets for higher interest rates.
The AUD/USD pair trades on a flat note near 0.7150 during the early Asian session on Monday. The pair steadies after retreating from multi-year highs amid shifting US interest rate expectations and ongoing geopolitical tensions.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran the "clock is ticking" as talks to bring the war to an end have stalled, CNBC reported on Sunday.
ING analysts see Taiwan’s external demand remaining a key growth driver, led by technology exports. They expect export orders to stay very strong, even as the year-on-year rate moderates.
DBS economists Taimur Baig and Radhika Rao anticipate Singapore’s April 2026 non-oil domestic exports to rise 11.5% year-on-year, marking an eighth consecutive month of expansion after 15.3% in March.
ING’s Min Joo Kang expects Japan’s economy to maintain similar growth to the previous quarter, with first-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) seen rising 0.3% quarter-on-quarter.
The US Dollar Index (DXY) climbs above the 99.30 region, reaching fresh multi-week highs on Friday as stronger-than-expected United States (US) economic data reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) may keep interest rates elevated for longer.
OCBC's strategist Christopher Wong says Asian FX remains constrained by a firm Dollar and higher US yields, despite some optimism around US–China talks. The Renminbi (RMB) is the main outperformer on lower USD/CNY fixes and policy-tolerated appreciation, but broader Asia FX stays soft.
Silver (XAG/USD) price collapses by 7.90% on Friday as US Treasury yields skyrocket amid investor fears of a second round of inflation, fueling speculation that major central banks could raise interest rates in the near term. The XAG/USD pair trades at $76.88 after reaching a high of $83.87.
UOB’s Global Economics & Markets Research, led by Julia Goh and Loke Siew Ting, notes Malaysia’s 1Q26 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 5.4% year-on-year, slightly above estimates but slower than 4Q25.
DBS Group Research economist Samuel Tse assesses how recent US-China talks are shaping the outlook for Chinese growth and Chinese Yuan (CNY) rates. He highlights a more constructive bilateral tone, prospects for improved US market access, and potential easing of trade frictions.
Gold price retreats by over 2.30% on Friday amid fears that prolonged hostilities between the US and Iran could trigger a second wave of inflation, forcing central banks to hike interest rates. The XAU/USD trades at $4,551 after bottoming at around $4,511.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the Greenback against a basket of six major currencies, extends its rally on Friday, climbing to its highest level since April 8 as investors continue to favor the US Dollar (USD) amid hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations and persistent geopolitical un
ING economists Deepali Bhargava, Lynn Song and Min Joo Kang expect Bank Indonesia (BI) to shift toward a tighter stance at its upcoming meeting. They highlight recent Indonesian Rupiah weakness, ongoing FX intervention and wider rate differentials versus the United States.
EUR/GBP climbs to near one-month highs on Friday as rising political uncertainty in the United Kingdom (UK) pressures the British Pound (GBP). At the time of writing, the cross is trading around 0.8726, on track for weekly gains.
The GBP/USD pair extends on Friday its losses for the fourth straight day, poised to finish the week down more than 2% as political turmoil in the UK and increased speculation that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s successor could widen fiscal deficits weigh on the currency.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) US Oil extends its rally on Friday, with the US benchmark trading around $100.90 at the time of writing, up 3.13% on the day and breaking above the $100 level to reach a fresh weekly high.
TD Securities’ James Rossiter and Julie Ioffe argue that Prime Minister Starmer is likely to be replaced by late September, with Labour’s leadership race centering on Burnham, Streeting, Rayner and Miliband.
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