ING analysts see Taiwan’s external demand remaining a key growth driver, led by technology exports. They expect export orders to stay very strong, even as the year-on-year rate moderates.

DBS economists Taimur Baig and Radhika Rao anticipate Singapore’s April 2026 non-oil domestic exports to rise 11.5% year-on-year, marking an eighth consecutive month of expansion after 15.3% in March.

ING’s Min Joo Kang expects Japan’s economy to maintain similar growth to the previous quarter, with first-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) seen rising 0.3% quarter-on-quarter.

The US Dollar Index (DXY) climbs above the 99.30 region, reaching fresh multi-week highs on Friday as stronger-than-expected United States (US) economic data reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) may keep interest rates elevated for longer.

OCBC's strategist Christopher Wong says Asian FX remains constrained by a firm Dollar and higher US yields, despite some optimism around US–China talks. The Renminbi (RMB) is the main outperformer on lower USD/CNY fixes and policy-tolerated appreciation, but broader Asia FX stays soft.

United States CFTC S&P 500 NC Net Positions declined to $-143.8K from previous $-103.9K

Japan CFTC JPY NC Net Positions fell from previous ¥-61.7K to ¥-75.1K

United States CFTC Gold NC Net Positions climbed from previous $163.3K to $171.6K

United States CFTC Oil NC Net Positions fell from previous 178.8K to 169.9K

United Kingdom CFTC GBP NC Net Positions up to £-43.1K from previous £-63.9K

Eurozone CFTC EUR NC Net Positions climbed from previous €32.2K to €40.2K

Australia CFTC AUD NC Net Positions rose from previous $78.7K to $85K

Silver (XAG/USD) price collapses by 7.90% on Friday as US Treasury yields skyrocket amid investor fears of a second round of inflation, fueling speculation that major central banks could raise interest rates in the near term. The XAG/USD pair trades at $76.88 after reaching a high of $83.87.

UOB’s Global Economics & Markets Research, led by Julia Goh and Loke Siew Ting, notes Malaysia’s 1Q26 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 5.4% year-on-year, slightly above estimates but slower than 4Q25.

DBS Group Research economist Samuel Tse assesses how recent US-China talks are shaping the outlook for Chinese growth and Chinese Yuan (CNY) rates. He highlights a more constructive bilateral tone, prospects for improved US market access, and potential easing of trade frictions.

Gold price retreats by over 2.30% on Friday amid fears that prolonged hostilities between the US and Iran could trigger a second wave of inflation, forcing central banks to hike interest rates. The XAU/USD trades at $4,551 after bottoming at around $4,511.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the Greenback against a basket of six major currencies, extends its rally on Friday, climbing to its highest level since April 8 as investors continue to favor the US Dollar (USD) amid hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations and persistent geopolitical un

ING economists Deepali Bhargava, Lynn Song and Min Joo Kang expect Bank Indonesia (BI) to shift toward a tighter stance at its upcoming meeting. They highlight recent Indonesian Rupiah weakness, ongoing FX intervention and wider rate differentials versus the United States.

EUR/GBP climbs to near one-month highs on Friday as rising political uncertainty in the United Kingdom (UK) pressures the British Pound (GBP). At the time of writing, the cross is trading around 0.8726, on track for weekly gains.

United States Baker Hughes US Oil Rig Count climbed from previous 410 to 415

The GBP/USD pair extends on Friday its losses for the fourth straight day, poised to finish the week down more than 2% as political turmoil in the UK and increased speculation that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s successor could widen fiscal deficits weigh on the currency.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) US Oil extends its rally on Friday, with the US benchmark trading around $100.90 at the time of writing, up 3.13% on the day and breaking above the $100 level to reach a fresh weekly high.

Russia Consumer Price Index (MoM) registered at 0.14%, below expectations (0.3%) in April

Colombia Gross Domestic Product (YoY) in line with expectations (2.2%) in 1Q

TD Securities’ James Rossiter and Julie Ioffe argue that Prime Minister Starmer is likely to be replaced by late September, with Labour’s leadership race centering on Burnham, Streeting, Rayner and Miliband.

Colombia Retail Sales (YoY) came in at 13.4%, above expectations (10.1%) in March

Societe Generale economists highlights that Eurozone 2026 GDP forecasts have been cut more than United States (US) projections in percentage terms, reinforcing United States (US) outperformance.

The Euro (EUR) extends losses against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday, with EUR/USD slipping to near one-month lows as hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations boost the Greenback and US Treasury yields.

The USD/CAD pair elevated near the 1.3760 level on Friday and remains supported by persistent inflation concerns and rising US Treasury yields following this week’s hotter-than-expected US inflation data.

AUD/USD falls sharply on Friday and trades around 0.7155 at the time of writing, down 0.91% on the day, after hitting its lowest level in more than a week. The pair remains under heavy selling pressure for the second consecutive day amid broad-based US Dollar (USD) strength.