Asian session: The yen touched a 2 1/2-year low

02:00 China GDP y/y IV quarter +7.4% +7.8% +7.9%

02:00 China Industrial Production y/y December +10.1% +10.2% +10.3%

02:00 China Fixed Asset Investment December +20.7% +20.7% +20.6%

04:30 Japan Industrial Production (MoM) (finally) November -1.7% -1.7% -1.4%

04:30 Japan Industrial Production (YoY) (finally) November -5.8% -5.5%

The yen touched a 2 1/2-year low and was set for a 10th weekly decline after BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa, Finance Minister Taro Aso and Economy Minister Akira Amari met today. Japan’s two-year note yield slid to a seven-year low amid speculation the central bank will boost bond purchases to end deflation.

The Swiss franc weakened against all major peers as faster-than-estimated growth in China boosted Asian stocks, sapping demand for haven currencies. China’s economy grew 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said in Beijing today. The median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of analysts was for a 7.8 percent gain in gross domestic product. In the third quarter, the economy expanded 7.4 percent from a year earlier.

The New Zealand dollar maintained a drop from yesterday after the nation’s consumer prices unexpectedly fell last quarter, giving the central bank scope to keep borrowing costs at a record low. Consumer prices declined 0.2 percent from the third quarter, when they rose 0.3 percent, Statistics New Zealand said in Wellington today. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has kept the official cash rate at 2.5 percent since March 2011, and 14 of 16 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted no policy change before June 30.

EUR/USD: during the Asian session, the pair rose to yesterday's high of $1.3390.

GBP/USD: during the Asian session the pair fell to $1.5960.

USD/JPY: during the Asian session, the pair traded in the range of Y89.65-Y90.20.