• The dollar fell versus the yen on Friday, after a report that U.S. President Donald Trump would remove his national security adviser added to concerns about recent White House personnel changes and what that meant for policy.
The dollar was 0.4 percent lower at 105.940 yen after briefly touching 106.380.
The dollar index versus a group of six major currencies was little changed at 90.081 after climbing 0.5 percent the previous day.
The euro was steady at $1.2309 after declining 0.5 percent overnight. The common currency was little changed on the week, failing to make much headway against its struggling U.S. peer as the European Central Bank has stressed that its exit from easy monetary policy would be very slow.
“U.S. protectionism is a key factor, but it is also a theme with a long timeframe,” said Yukio Ishizuki, senior currency strategist at Daiwa Securities.
“The market perhaps reacted excessively and the dollar was oversold, and now we are seeing those moves being balanced out as participants turn their focus on other events.”
The two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting begins on March 20-21 at which the U.S. central bank is expected to raise interest rates for the first time this year.
• The head of the most influential U.S. business lobbying group warned the Trump administration that unilateral tariffs on Chinese goods could lead to a destructive trade war that will hurt American consumers and U.S. economic growth.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue said in a statement on Thursday that such tariffs, associated with a probe of China’s intellectual property practices, would be “damaging taxes on American consumers.”
• By imposing new sanctions on Russia and condemning a suspected Russian chemical attack in Britain, Washington has hinted at a tougher stance toward Moscow despite President Donald Trump’s stated desire for better ties.
• Britain, the United States, Germany and France jointly called on Russia on Thursday to explain a military-grade nerve toxin attack in England on a former Russian double agent, which they said threatened Western security.
After the first known offensive use of such a weapon on European soil since World War Two, Britain has pinned the blame on Moscow and given 23 Russians who it said were spies working under diplomatic cover at the London embassy a week to leave.
• Japan’s exports likely rose in February at a slower pace than the previous month due to the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday but their upward trend is expected to stay intact with external demand intact, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.
Exports were expected to have risen 1.9 percent in February from a year earlier after a revised 12.3 percent gain in January, the poll of 19 economists found.
Imports were seen up 17.1 percent from a year ago while trade deficit likely stood at 99.6 billion yen.
• Japan’s parliament approved on Friday the government’s nominees for central bank governor and deputy governors, Lower House Speaker Tadamori Oshima said.
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has been approved for another five-year term after his current one ends in April. Masazumi Wakatabe, an academic known as a vocal advocate of aggressive easing, and career central banker Masayoshi Amamiya will become Kuroda’s deputies next week.
• South Korean officials began preparations on Friday for a summit next month with North Korea aimed at reducing tensions on the peninsula, as a report showed the North had probably begun testing a nuclear reactor as recently as late February.
• Oil prices were set to fall this week, with both benchmarks dropping slightly on Friday, on concerns among investors about rising supply from the U.S. and other nations threatening to undermine efforts by OPEC and other producers to tighten the market.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil futures for April delivery fell 3 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $61.16 a barrel at 0354 GMT, after settling up 23 cents on Thursday. WTI is set to fall 1.4 percent this week, reversing the previous week’s 1.3 percent gain.
Brent crude futures trading in London fell 7 cents to $65.05 a barrel after settling up 23 cents. Brent is down 0.7 percent for the week.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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