Australia’s central bank is ready to respond “with force” should potential U.S. tariffs hit global trade and threaten growth at home, a top official said on Wednesday, a day after it surprised markets by opening the door to an easing.
The yen pulled away from a two-week low versus the U.S. dollar on Wednesday after data showed Japanese wholesale inflation accelerated, supporting the case for a Bank of Japan interest-rate hike next week.
Oil prices rose on Wednesday, with market participants expecting demand to rise in China, the world’s largest crude importer, after Beijing announced it would relax monetary policy to try to stimulate economic growth.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency remained squarely within a $90,000 to $100,000 trading range established over the past few weeks, amid cooling optimism over friendly regulations under incoming President Donald Trump.
Asian stock markets and the dollar took a breather on Wednesday ahead of an anticipated rate cut in Canada and a U.S. inflation reading expected to leave the Fed on course to cut rates again.
