Asian session: The yen remained higher

00:00 Australia MI Inflation Gauge, m/m January +1.8% +2.0%

00:30 Australia Unemployment rate December 5.3% 5.4% 5.4%

00:30 Australia Changing the number of employed December 13.9 2.3 -5.5

The yen remained higher after a two- day rally as investors weighed the likelihood of new monetary easing measures by the Bank of Japan next week. The Japanese currency advanced against all its major peers as Asian stocks reversed gains, supporting demand for refuge assets. It rallied over the past two days after comments by Japanese officials damped expectations the government will push for further declines.

Australia’s dollar weakened after data showed the nation lost jobs in December. In Australia, employment fell by 5,500 in December, government data showed today. That compared with economist estimates for a 4,000 increase.

The 17-nation euro failed to snap a two-day loss after Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker, who leads a group of euro-area finance ministers called the euro’s value “dangerously high” this week. The world’s leading economies are on the brink of a “currency war,” Bank Rossii First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said yesterday.

ECB Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny said yesterday that he doesn’t expect the currency to keep appreciating in the longer term and the euro’s recent gains against the dollar are not a concern.

EUR/USD: during the Asian session the pair was trading around the level of $1.3300.

GBP/USD: during the Asian session the pair was trading around the level of $1.6000.

USD/JPY: during the Asian session the pair was trading around the level of Y88.50.