Global FX DATA:

• • • ASIAN MARKET
      
      Asian shares eased on Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates and took a more hawkish tone in forecasting a slightly faster pace of tightening, while concerns about U.S.-China trade frictions kept investors on edge..
      
       
    • GOLD
      
      Gold prices eased on Thursday as the U.S. Federal Reserve forecast a slightly faster pace of interest rate hikes this year, although lingering worries over trade tensions between Washington and Beijing prevented steeper losses.
      
       
  • • OIL
      
      Oil prices rose on Thursday to shake off some of the previous session's losses, supported by plunging exports by OPEC-member Venezuela.
       
    • INDIA
      
      Indian airlines are turning to the international market in search of better returns as the intensifying fight for a bigger share of the world’s fastest growing domestic market - where price is king - drives down profits.
       
    • DOLLAR
      
      The dollar slipped back from three-week highs against the yen on Thursday, quickly erasing gains made after the Federal Reserve took a slightly more hawkish policy tone in signaling two more rate hikes by year-end.
       
    • CRYPTO CURRENCY
      
      There is evidence that tether, a digital currency pegged to the U.S. dollar, may have been used to manipulate the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to a research paper released by the University of Texas.

    • SEOUL
      
      Tough sanctions will remain on North Korea until its complete denuclearisation, the U.S. secretary of state said on Thursday, apparently contradicting the North’s view that the process agreed at this week’s summit would be phased and reciprocal.

    • JAPAN
      
      Japan is seeking to join the European Union in its push to set up dispute resolution talks with the United States over Washington’s steel and aluminum tariffs, under the World Trade Organisation framework, a government source said.

    • AUSTRALIA
      
      An Australian court on Thursday slashed a record libel payout for actress Rebel Wilson, saying there was insufficient evidence a series of magazine articles published by Bauer Media prevented her from getting lucrative roles in Hollywood.

    • CHINA
      
      China’s central bank left borrowing costs for interbank loans unchanged on Thursday, a surprising decision that shrugged off the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy rate increase and came as data showed the world’s second-biggest economy lost more steam than expected.

    • SOUTH KOREA
      
       South Korean President Moon Jae-In said on Thursday the world had escaped the threat of war after this week’s Singapore summit, echoing U.S. President Donald Trump’s upbeat assessment of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.