Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes 
South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges 
Dollar Holds Firm as Markets Weigh Warsh-Led Fed and Yen Weakness Ahead of Japan Election 
China Manufacturing PMI Slips Into Contraction in January as Weak Demand Pressures Economy 
Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors 
Canada’s Trade Deficit Jumps in November as Exports Slide and Firms Diversify Away From U.S. 
Gold Prices Stabilize in Asian Trade After Sharp Weekly Losses Amid Fed Uncertainty 
Oil Prices Surge Toward Biggest Monthly Gains in Years Amid Middle East Tensions 
Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals 
Philippines Manufacturing PMI Hits Nine-Month High Despite Weak Confidence Outlook 
Why Trump’s new pick for Fed chair hit gold and silver markets – for good reasons 
Australian government bond yields plunged during Asian session of the last trading day of the week Friday, tracking a massive slump in the U.S. 10-year counterpart after President Donald Trump announced on Twitter a new set of trade tariffs on goods imported from China.
Also, the country’s retail sales for the month of June slightly exceeded market expectations, also rising from the previous reading in May.
The yield on Australia’s benchmark 10-year note, which moves inversely to its price, plunged 11-1/2 basis points to 1.095 percent, the yield on the long-term 30-year bond slumped 9-1/2 basis points to 1.774 percent and the yield on short-term 2-year suffered nearly 8 basis points at 0.793 percent by 04:55GMT.
US President Trump announced a 10 percent tariff on USD300 billion of Chinese imports from September 1, following inconclusive trade talks in Shanghai earlier this week and threatened that they could be raised beyond 25 percent if talks continue to stall, OCBC Treasury Research reported.
With this threatened escalation, Wall Street slumped overnight while UST bonds rallied and pushed the 10-year yield to a low of 1.89 percent (last seen in November 2016), the report added.
Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 index remained tad -0.29 percent down at 6,700.50 by 05:00GMT.
