China Home Prices Rise in January as Government Signals Stronger Support for Property Market 
Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals 
China Manufacturing PMI Slips Into Contraction in January as Weak Demand Pressures Economy 
Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns 
Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors 
Dollar Holds Firm as Markets Weigh Warsh-Led Fed and Yen Weakness Ahead of Japan Election 
EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects 
U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Markets Brace for Big Tech Earnings and Key Data 
Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes 
Wall Street Slides as Warsh Fed Nomination, Hot Inflation, and Precious Metals Rout Shake Markets 
JPMorgan Lifts Gold Price Forecast to $6,300 by End-2026 on Strong Central Bank and Investor Demand 
Why Trump’s new pick for Fed chair hit gold and silver markets – for good reasons 
Philippines Manufacturing PMI Hits Nine-Month High Despite Weak Confidence Outlook 
South Korea Exports Surge in January on AI Chip Demand, Marking Fastest Growth in 4.5 Years 
India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations 
The U.S. dollar held steady on Tuesday, supported by signs of easing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing after President Donald Trump softened his stance on tariffs and hinted at a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. The shift in tone comes after a volatile Friday session when Trump abruptly announced 100% tariffs on Chinese exports, only to strike a more conciliatory tone over the weekend.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that Trump remains committed to meeting Xi in South Korea in late October, boosting investor optimism that both nations are seeking a path to defuse tensions. The development breathed new life into the greenback, keeping the euro below $1.16 at $1.1566, while sterling slipped 0.06% to $1.3328. The New Zealand dollar fell to a six-month low at $0.57145.
Homin Lee, senior macro strategist at Lombard Odier, noted that both the U.S. and China appear to be searching for “an off-ramp” to prevent relations from deteriorating further, emphasizing that a prolonged escalation would be costly for both sides. “We suspect there will be an attempt to achieve an off-ramp,” he said.
Against a basket of major currencies, the dollar edged 0.04% higher to 99.34. The Australian dollar was steady at $0.6516, while the yen weakened 0.2% to 152.57 per dollar. Japan’s markets reopened after a long weekend amid political uncertainty following the collapse of a coalition supporting Sanae Takaichi’s bid to become the nation’s first female prime minister. Despite the turbulence, analysts expect the yen to strengthen, with Nigel Foo of First Sentier Investors saying the exchange rate “should not be at 152.”
Meanwhile, bitcoin dipped 0.36% to $115,380.19, extending last week’s 6% slide as risk sentiment waned. Ether also declined 0.77% to $4,256.42, following a broader crypto market selloff that wiped out over $19 billion in leveraged positions.
