Global FX DATA:

• • • ASIAN MARKET
      
      Asian shares were slightly weaker on Friday amid fragile market sentiment after U.S. President Donald Trump called off a key summit with North Korea, though investor concerns were softened by expectations the two countries may still continue dialogue.
       
    • GOLD
      
      Gold prices eased amid a firmer dollar, after breaking above $1,300 in the previous session as U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to call off a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un triggered safe-haven buying.
       
  • • OIL
      
      Oil prices edged lower on Friday morning in Asia as Russia hinted it may increase output.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as well as a group of non-OPEC producers led by Russia started withholding output in 2017 to boost oil prices and clear a supply glut. The group had agreed to curb their output by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd).
       
    • INDIA
      
      When the government announced a surprise $32 billion bailout plan for the nation’s state-controlled banks last October, credit rating firms and the nation’s central bank saw it as a huge step to getting the industry back to robust health – and lending more to businesses and consumers.
       
    • DOLLAR
      
      The dollar lost momentum after the double-whammy of dovish-looking minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting and the threat by U.S. President Donald Trump of imposing new tariffs on imported cars.
       
    • CRYPTO CURRENCY
      
      Bitcoin prices slipped on Friday amid reports that the U.S. Justice Department launched a criminal probe into cryptocurrency market manipulation.

    • BRAZIL
      
      Brazil’s presidential chief of staff Eliseu Padilha said on Thursday night that the government had reached a deal with protesting truckers to suspend for 15 days a nationwide strike that has paralyzed several vital sectors of Latin America’s biggest economy.

    • AUSTRALIA
      
      Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp was cleared by a court of accusations it rigged a key rate to boost profit, but the win on Thursday against a regulator was dampened by an additional finding of unconscionable conduct by the bank.

    • MEXICO
      
      Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday expressed optimism about NAFTA talks that have been thrown into disarray by a U.S. probe exploring auto tariffs, while a source said Mexico had made a new offer to seek a deal.

    • TAMIL NADU
      
      Tamil Nadu state said on Thursday that it was seeking a permanent closure of a big copper smelter run by London-listed Vedanta Resources after 13 people died in protests demanding the closure of the plant on environmental grounds.

    • NORTH KOREA
      
      North Korea said it was surprised by President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a June 12 summit with Kim Jong Un and it remains willing to meet with the U.S. at any time.

    • US
      
      The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously approved legislation that would step up protections for congressional staffers facing workplace harassment, including requiring lawmakers to use their personal funds to cover the cost of settlements if they were the alleged harassers.