ForexLive Asia-Pacific FX news wrap: USD/JPY with a small bounce

The
USD traded in a small range only here today. AUD, NZD, CAD all moved
a little higher while EUR, GBP, CHF are really not a lot net
changed.
Oil has been steady. Gold moved higher but ran out of steam above
US$2932. Earlier in the week it topped just over US$2940 and its not
going to just waltz through that top without doing some work in the
area first.

USD/JPY
was a bit more active, continuing its Thursday down trend initially,
to lows just under 152.50 before bouncing back to 153.00.

News
and data flow was light.

We
had NZ data, the January manufacturing PMI moved into expansion for
the first time in 23 months! An inflation measure, the Food Price
Index, jumped from +0.1% m/m in December to +1.9% in January. The
Reserve Bank of New Zealand meet next Wednesday and the consensus is
for a 50bp cut.

From
Singapore we had Q4 GDP growth coming in higher than estimated.

From
the Japanese parliament, Junko Koeda, nominated to join the monetary
policy board of the Bank of Japan, was approved in a lower house
vote. The upper house votes next Wednesday and given the government
majority seems assured of taking her place at the big table.

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.