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• The dollar edged down on Friday as investors were underwhelmed by the limited scope of executive actions and the lack of concrete policy reforms in the inauguration speech of newly sworn-in U.S. President Donald Trump.

Investors had been looking to Trump's first address as president to highlight his plans for fiscal spending, tax cuts and regulatory reforms. Instead, Trump focused his remarks on his "America first" policies that were short on specific proposals.

In currency markets, the dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, traded at100.63. Against the dollar, the yen was hovering at around 113.86

• "Trump’s speech focused on protectionism and the markets rejected the idea that protectionism is going to be the new president’s central focus because protectionism means trade wars, which is not good for the (dollar)," said Kathy Lien, managing director of BK Asset Management.

• China's primary money rates fell on Friday, but remained elevated, after the central bank provided banks with liquidity support, to help avert a cash crunch before the Lunar New Year.

The market believed the support - via the temporary cut in reserve requirement ratio for targeted banks - added around 600 billion yuan ($87.3 billion) in liquidity.

• The new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump said on Friday its trade strategy to protect American jobs would start with withdrawal from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact.

The statement said Trump was committed to renegotiating another trade deal, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was signed in 1994 by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"For too long, Americans have been forced to accept trade deals that put the interests of insiders and the Washington elite over the hard-working men and women of this country," it said.

"As a result, blue-collar towns and cities have watched their factories close and good-paying jobs move overseas, while Americans face a mounting trade deficit and a devastated manufacturing base." The statement said "tough and fair agreements" on trade could be used to grow the U.S. economy and return millions of jobs to America.

If NAFTA partners refused to give American workers a fair deal in a renegotiated agreement, "the President will give notice of the United States’ intent to withdraw from NAFTA," the statement added.

The TPP, which the United States signed but has not ratified, had been the main economic pillar of the Obama administration's "pivot" to the Asia-Pacific region in the face of a fast-rising China. Proponents of the pact have expressed concerns that abandoning the project, which took years to negotiate, could further strengthen China's economic hand in the region at the expense of the United States. Trump has criticized China's trade practices and threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.

• The Chinese government said on Thursday that China and the United States could resolve any trade disputes through talks, while a Chinese newspaper warned that U.S. business could be targets for retaliation in any trade war ushered in by Trump.

• A day after Donald Trump became U.S. President and vowed to put "America First", Asian media decried his isolationist policies, fearing they will chill the global economy and sow widespread international discord. In a defiant inaugural address, Trump said U.S. workers have been devastated by an outflow of jobs overseas, one of the main themes of a divisive campaign that emphasized making America strong again.

• In Japan, one of Washington's oldest and staunchest Asian allies, newspapers across the political spectrum criticised the new administration, with more than one saying the world was now in "unpredictable territory."

"Has there ever been a new U.S. administration that began by spreading unease, not expectations, throughout the world?" said the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun, adding that Trump appeared ready to take both alliances and global norms lightly if they didn't benefit the United States.

"Will the unpredictable Trump whirlwind cross the U.S. borders to spread division and conflict? The new master of the White House must realise the heavy responsibility that accompanies his words and actions", it said.

• State media in China, accused of stealing U.S. jobs during Trump's campaign, said they hoped his government understood the importance of relations with China but that Beijing should also brace for the worst. "What's crucial is to control and manage disputes and find a way to resolve them," said the overseas edition of the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily.

"As an exporting nation reliant on both China and the U.S., we would suffer from greater U.S. protectionism and any trade war," said the Sydney Morning Herald.

"We may have to negotiate our way through a new world order not just regarding trade and China but also climate, Russia and regional security given Trump's lack of interest in the U.S. playing the role of sheriff."

• Hundreds of thousands of women filled the streets of major American cities to lead an unprecedented wave of international protests against President Donald Trump, mocking and denouncing the new U.S. leader the day after his inauguration.

Women activists, outraged by Trump's campaign rhetoric and behavior they found to be especially misogynistic, spearheaded scores of marches in the United States and sympathy rallies around the world on Saturday.

The demonstrations also highlighted strong discontent over Trump's comments and policy positions toward a wide range of groups, including Mexican immigrants, Muslims, the disabled and environmentalists.

• President Donald Trump can hire his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a senior White House adviser without breaking federal anti-nepotism laws, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

• U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures settled up $1.05, 2 percent, at $52.42 a barrel. International benchmark Brent crude prices were up $1.34, or 2.5 percent, at $55.50 a barrel by 2:33 p.m. ET (1933 GMT).

Oil prices rose about 2 percent on Friday on expectations that a weekend meeting of the world's top oil producers would demonstrate compliance to a global output cut deal.

A weekend meeting in Vienna of members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and some producers outside of the group, including Russia, will establish a compliance mechanism to verify producers are sticking to a deal to reduce output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), OPEC's secretary general told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia's energy minister said that 1.5 million bpd had already been taken out of the market, adding to signs that the oil market is rebalancing.