Global FX DATA:

• • • ASIAN MARKET
      
      Asian stocks edged up on Friday as investors kept a cautious watch on developments in U.S.-China trade negotiations, with the dollar perched near a five-month peak after the benchmark U.S. Treasury yield hit its highest in seven years.
       
    • GOLD
      
      Gold prices edged down on Friday to near their lowest levels this year, pressured by a firm U.S. dollar amid surging U.S. Treasury yields.The metal was heading for its biggest weekly decline since early-December.
       
  • • OIL
      
      Oil prices held firm on Friday on strong demand, ongoing supply cuts led by producer cartel OPEC and looming U.S. sanctions against major crude exporter Iran.
       
    • INDIA
      
       Former Reserve Bank of India chief Raghuram Rajan said on Wednesday he did not intend to apply for the job of Bank of England governor which is due to come vacant next year.Rajan has been mentioned by analysts as a possible future BoE governor after Mark Carney - who previously headed Canada’s central bank - steps down at the end of June 2019.
       
    • DOLLAR
      
      The dollar edged higher against the yen on Friday and set a fresh four-month high, buoyed by a further rise in U.S. Treasury yields that suggests a more upbeat outlook for the world’s largest economy and possibly more rate hikes.
       
    • CRYPTO CURRENCY
      
       Ethereum is the top public blockchain in the cryptocurrency space, while that of bitcoin, the original virtual currency, is ranked 13th, according to the Chinese government’s first monthly Global Public Chain Assessment Index released on Thursday.

    • NEW YORK 
      
      Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for the disbarment of a New York lawyer accused of threatening to have cafe workers deported after he heard them speaking Spanish, an incident caught on video that went viral.

    • SAUDI ARABIA
      
      Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it would make sure the world is adequately supplied with oil to support global economic growth just as top consumer India expressed frustration with oil prices hitting $80 per barrel for the first time since 2014.

    • CHINA
      
      China said on Friday it was dropping an anti-dumping probe into imports of U.S. sorghum, a conciliatory gesture as top officials meet in Washington in an effort to head off a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

    • THAILAND
      
      Thailand’s military government has accused opposition members of flouting a ban on political activity, among other charges, after they criticised it for reneging on promises to restore democracy and protect basic rights, police said on Friday.

    • BRAZIL
      
      A right-wing Brazilian presidential candidate who compares himself to Donald Trump is attracting support across Brazil’s farm belt, where the fiery former paratrooper may secure the funding needed for his bid to run Latin America’s biggest country.

    • AUSTRALIA
      
      No. 2 Australian lender Westpac Banking Corp said on Friday it had been "too slow" to resolve customer complaints and had created an executive role to handle them, as the country's financial sector responds to revelations of serious misconduct.

    • INDONESIA
      
       The first interest-rate hike by Indonesia since 2014 might slow the pace of capital outflows, but foreign investors are unlikely to have a change of heart about the nation’s assets anytime soon.