• The dollar edged down against the yen on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump raised the specter of a government shutdown to fulfill a campaign pledge, but overall moves among major currencies were limited ahead of this week's Jackson Hole global central bankers' conference.
The dollar was last off slightly on the day at 109.53 yen JPY= after touching a low of 109.37, down from around 109.67 before Trump's statement and below an earlier session high of 109.83 yen.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was flat on the day at 93.513 .DXY, after it gained 0.5 percent in the previous session.
• U.S. President Donald Trump revved up supporters on Tuesday with a defence of his response to a white supremacist-organised rally in Virginia and a promise to shut down the U.S. government if necessary to build a wall along the border with Mexico.
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the production of more solid-fuel rocket engines and rocket warhead tips, the North's official media said on Wednesday in a report otherwise lacking threats against Washington after weeks of heightened tension.
• China's trade with North Korea fell in July from a month earlier, data showed on Wednesday, as a ban on coal purchases from its isolated neighbor slowed imports amid growing pressure from the United States to rein in Pyongyang's missile program.
The world's second-largest economy imported and exported goods worth $456.16 million in July, down from $489 million in June, according to data from China's General Administration of Customs.
• U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday he might terminate the NAFTA trade treaty with Mexico and Canada after three-way talks failed to bridge deep differences.
• A gathering of global central bankers later this week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming has also prompted investors to balance their currency positions ahead of the event, leading them to reduce some of their short dollar bets.
Investors are awaiting speeches from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi in Jackson Hole, although neither of the officials is expected to announce new policy messages.
"Draghi has already signaled the intent to address balance sheet concerns in the autumn, which we interpret to mean the October meeting," said Mazzen Issa, senior FX strategist, at TD Securities in New York.
"This should leave Draghi more inclined to tiptoe around the policy outlook that implies tighter financial conditions," he added.
• President Donald Trump's warning to Pakistan that it must stop harboring terrorist organizations and the Taliban represents "a radical shift" in U.S. policy that could improve the situation in war-torn Afghanistan, according to analysts.
Late Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported "more than 12,000 U.S. troops" are stationed in Afghanistan, a figure the paper noted was "about 3,500 more than" the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged.
The Journal reported "another 3,900 troops" will be sent to Afghanistan under the president's new strategy, bringing the total number to "about 16,000troops." It cited unnamed defense officials.
• Oil prices fell on Wednesday, weighed down by concerns of oversupply as Libyan output improves and as U.S. gasoline inventories rose despite the peak summer driving season.
Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at $51.64 per barrel at 0721 GMT, down 23 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last close.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $47.59 a barrel, down 24 cents, or 0.5 percent.
Reference: Reuters
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