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Data, however, also showed a drop in the unemployment rate suggesting that the labour market was tightening.

• The Federal Reserve’s campaign in raising interest and shrinking its balance sheet is running smoothly despite recent volatility in U.S. money markets, the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s top markets official said in prepared remarks delivered on Saturday in Manila.

• U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his strategy of placing steep tariffs on imports of goods from China is “working far better than anyone ever anticipated,” and that Beijing was talking to the United States about trade.

“Tariffs are working far better than anyone ever anticipated,” Trump wrote on Twitter, citing losses in China’s stock market as he predicted the U.S. market could “go up dramatically” once trade deals were renegotiated.

• Simmering trade-related tensions helped push the greenback 0.39 lower against the Japanese yen, which tends to advance during times of geopolitical or financial stress.

China proposed retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods such as liquefied natural gas and aircraft on Friday, as a senior Chinese diplomat cast doubt on prospects of talks with Washington to solve the bitter trade conflict.

The yuan rebounded from a 15-month low against the greenback hit earlier in the session, after China’s central bank said it would set a forward reserve requirement ratio of 20 percent - up from zero - from Monday for financial institutions settling foreign exchange forward yuan positions. This will make shorting the yuan more expensive.

The Chinese currency has tumbled about 10 percent since early April in offshore markets as investors speculated that its weakness would be encouraged by the People’s Bank of China to counter the impact of U.S. tariffs on its exports.

The banks were seen selling dollars at around 6.9 per dollar in the onshore foreign exchange market in afternoon trade, three traders said.

The onshore spot market CNY=CFXS opened at 6.8571 per dollar, weakening to a low of 6.8965 at one point on Friday afternoon, its lowest level since May 15, 2017.It finished domestic trading at 6.8620 at 0830 GMT.

• China’s state media said on Saturday the government’s retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods showed rational restraint and they accused the United States of blackmail.

Late on Friday, China’s finance ministry unveiled new sets of additional tariffs on 5,207 goods imported from the United States, with the extra levies ranging from five to 25 percent on a total value of goods less than half of that proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

The response follows the Trump administration’s proposal of a 25-percent tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports.

• The White House will make an announcement on Monday detailing the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran that President Donald Trump has ordered for this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday.

A U.S. Treasury official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said so-called “snapback” sanctions will be reimposed at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Tuesday.

• Iran announced on Sunday a plan to ease foreign exchange rules, state television reported, as Tehran tries to counter the effects of a plunging currency and prepares to face new U.S. sanctions.

• India said on Saturday that delayed higher tariffs against some goods imported from the United States will go into force on September 18.

New Delhi, incensed by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new tariffs, decided in June to raise import tax from August 4 on some U.S. products, including almonds, walnuts and apples, and later delayed the move.

Trade differences between India and the United States have been rising since President Donald Trump took office. Bilateral trade rose to $115 billion in 2016, but the Trump administration wants to reduce its $31 billion deficit with India, and is pressing New Delhi to ease trade barriers.

• North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs in violation of United Nations sanctions, according to a confidential U.N. report seen by Reuters on Friday.

• U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday he hoped Americans detained in Turkey would be released “in coming days”, following a meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Singapore which both sides said was constructive.

Washington earlier this week imposed sanctions on two Turkish ministers over the case of Andrew Brunson, a U.S. pastor on trial in Turkey for backing terrorism. The United States has also been seeking the release of three locally employed embassy staff detained in Turkey.

• Saudi Arabia will suspend new trade and investment with Canada after that country’s foreign ministry urged Riyadh to release arrested civil rights activists, it said in a statement released to the official Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

It also gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the country and recalled its own ambassador to Canada, the statement by the Saudi foreign ministry said, adding it retained “its rights to take further action.”

• Crude futures pulled back on Friday, giving up gains from the previous session as trade concerns weighed on the market and fueled concerns about demand.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 settled down 47 cents at $68.49 a barrel. Brent crude futures LCOc1 settled at $73.21 per barrel, down 24cents from their last close.

Reference: Reuters, CNBC