The tensions between the United States and Iran have pushed oil prices higher, raising fears of energy-driven inflation, which helped support both the dollar and Treasury yields. The 10-year yield has climbed to its highest level in roughly two weeks.
Panama Ports Company (PPC), part of the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison, said the Panamanian government acted in disregard for the rule of law. It decried what it called the latest steps to invade and take the property of PPC during a search on Thursday. It also accused authorities of entering a private storage site without notice and ignoring requests to safeguard sensitive corporate data.
The U.S. Federal Reserve confirmed yesterday that its trading desk did conduct a rare "rate check" on the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen on behalf of the White House earlier this year. The move is often regarded as a precursor to actively intervening in currency markets. In this case the implication would be that the U.S. Treasury wanted to strengthen the yen versus the dollar (or, vice versa, weaken the dollar versus the yen).
The U.S. dollar's value has fallen 8% over the past year, as the price of gold has skyrocketed, said the WSJ Dollar Index. Some think it is a good thing. President Donald Trump said recently a weaker dollar is great. The idea is a weaker currency boosts exports and employment while a strong currency can throttle an economy. While the idea of a weaker dollar has had supporters over the decades, economists often argue gains can be eaten up by domestic inflation and deflation.
The USD/JPY pair surged to a nine-day peak of 158.86 following the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) first policy decision of 2026, with the momentum accelerating sharply during Governor Kazuo Ueda's post-meeting press conference. The pair later saw a missive flush toward 157.308. While the central bank technically stood pat, the market's read of the event was one of a hawkish hold, as the divergence between official rhetoric and the surging Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yields forced a frantic repricing of the yen's path.
Almost £162 billion of British exports are at heightened risk because UK firms are shipping goods to markets where collecting payment is most difficult, according to new analysis. Research from Allianz Trade shows that nearly a quarter (24%) of all UK exports are destined for three countries, the United States, China and India, which pose the greatest challenges for debt collection among the UK's top 20 export markets.
US President Donald Trump announced a 32 percent reciprocal tariff on Taiwanese exports in April, before lowering the rate to 20 percent in August pending further negotiations. Countries have made pledges to boost investments in the US in exchange for tariff relief since Trump launched his trade war last year. Japan and South Korea last year agreed to invest $550bn and $350bn, respectively, to see their tariff rates cut from 25 to 15 percent.
