South Africa Eyes ECB Repo Lines as Inflation Eases and Rate Cuts Loom 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
Gold and Silver Prices Slide as Dollar Strength and Easing Tensions Weigh on Metals 
Russian Stocks End Mixed as MOEX Index Closes Flat Amid Commodity Strength 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
The Japanese government bond yields plunged towards the end of Asian session Wednesday, following a fall in the U.S. Treasury yields after Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve stood by a patient stance to hike rates in the future despite his hopes of a sturdy economic growth through this year.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year JGB note, which moves inversely to its price, slumped nearly 2-1/2 basis points to -0.023 percent, the yield on the long-term 30-year hovered around 0.606 percent and the yield on short-term 2-year plunged 16 basis points to -0.160 percent by 05:30GMT.
Risk sentiment consolidated on mixed economic data. Meanwhile market is waiting for a few key event risks including Fed Chairman Powell’s testimony and former Trump lawyer Cohen’s hearing. In his testimony to the Senate Banking Committee, Powell reiterated that “the baseline outlook is good” though he warned that the US economy may feel the impact from the slowdown overseas in the coming months, OCBC Treasury Research reported.
It seems that Fed’s patient stance may continue until the change of inflation or growth dynamics. Market will wait for Powell’s second testimony tonight to the House Financial Service Committee. On Cohen’s hearing, his knowledge about Trump’s dealings with Russia is expected to catch market attention. The latest news shows that Trump may have been personally engaged in his business in Russia during his candidacy in 2016.
Elsewhere, the U.S. House’s passage of bill to reject Trump’s border wall emergency is unlikely to have any impact on the market as the Democrats are short of a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override the President’s veto Power, the report added.
Meanwhile, the Nikkei 225 index traded 0.52 percent higher at 21,560.00 by 05:35GMT, while at 05:00GMT, the FxWirePro's Hourly JPY Strength Index remained neutral at 14.16 (a reading above +75 indicates a bullish trend, while that below -75 a bearish trend). For more details, visit http://www.fxwirepro.com/currencyindex
