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On May 5, Japans attitude towards using U.S. debt as a negotiating tool with the United States reversed again. According to Nikkei News, Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Sunday (May 4) that Japan has no intention of using the possibility of selling its holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds to gain an advantage in trade negotiations with the United States, and Japan does not consider the sale of U.S. Treasury bonds to be a tool for Japan-U.S. negotiations. Katsunobu Kato said last Friday that although Japan would not easily sell its holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds, they were a "card" for negotiations with the United States on trade issues; he overturned this statement at a press conference on Sunday. The Japanese Ministry of Finance reported that as of the end of March, Japan held $1.27 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, most of which were U.S. Treasury bonds. Foreign exchange reserves can be used to intervene in the foreign exchange market. In April, Katsunobu Kato ruled out the possibility of using Japans holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds as a negotiating tool.On May 5, the Israeli Prime Ministers Office issued a statement on the evening of May 4 local time, saying that Israel will retaliate against the Houthi armed forces and their ally Iran in response to the missile attack on Tel Avivs Ben-Gurion International Airport earlier that day. The statement said that the attack by the Houthi armed forces in Yemen "originated from Iran" and Israel will choose the time and place to take action against Iran, the force behind the Houthi armed forces. Iran has not responded to this yet.On May 5, according to the Yemeni Houthi armed forces, the US military once again launched large-scale air strikes on Ras Issa Port and Kamalan Island in Hodeidah Province, Yemen, on the evening of May 4 local time. In addition, the US military also carried out three air strikes in the southern part of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.Yemens Houthi armed forces: are striving to implement a "total air blockade" by repeatedly attacking Israeli airports.Citi: Raised McDonalds (MCD.N) target price from $353 to $364 and maintained buy rating.

As a result of hawkish RBA minutes, AUD/JPY surges to around 93.00

Alina Haynes

Feb 21, 2023 15:20

As the Reserve Bank of Australia's minutes revealed a hawkish stance, the AUD/JPY pair surged to near 93.00 during the Tokyo session (RBA). The RBA minutes make it plainly clear that higher interest rates are essential because robust consumer demand prevents the Australian inflation rate from decreasing from its peak.

 

According to the minutes, RBA members considered a 50 basis point (bps) increase in interest rates in light of the persistence of inflation. Members of the RBA also remarked that the unemployment rate is at its lowest point in the past fifty years and that the number of job opportunities is astronomically high, which is a source of happiness for consumers who are injecting surplus income into the economy.

 

Aside from this, the Australian economy benefited from improved trade terms and would benefit more from China's openness than a number of other countries. The Chinese government's relaxation of pandemic laws has expanded Australia's trading potential.

 

Philip Lowe, governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, anticipates that the cash rate will climb to 3.75 percent over time, with headline inflation decreasing to 4.75 percent by the end of 2023 and returning to approximately 3 percent by the middle of 2025.

 

Previously, S&P Global reported upbeat preliminary Australian PMI (Feb) data. The Manufacturing PMI hit 50.1, above both the consensus forecast of 49.9 and the prior figure of 50.0. The Services PMI increased from 48.4 (estimated) and 48.8 to 49.2. (previously released).

 

About the Japanese Yen, Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda stated, "Due to labor demand and inflation, wage growth is predicted. The Japanese Yen has not notably reacted to the preliminary Jibun Bank PMI (Feb) statistics, which were mixed. The Services PMI has risen to 53.6, surpassing both the consensus expectation of 51.5 and the prior figure of 51.1. While the Manufacturing PMI has declined to 47.4 compared to expectations and the previous reading of 48.9, it remains above the 50-point threshold indicating expansion.