📊 Asia-Pacific: Mostly higher. Nikkei 225 near record highs (~70,000), up ~0.6% on chip and industrial strength after strong May exports. Kospi flat, pausing after recent chip-stock swings. Singapore’s Straits Times hit a record on its best non-oil export growth in 20 years. ASX 200 and China’s CSI 300 edged up; Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng dipped on soft Chinese data.
💴 FX: US Dollar Index flat, near a 10-day low. USD/JPY near 160.30 even after the BOJ’s 25bp hike to 1% (a 30-year high) — yen capped by the wide US–Japan rate gap. AUD/USD steady after the RBA held at 4.35%. EUR/USD and GBP/USD broadly steady near 1.16 and 1.34.
🥇 Commodities: Gold up ~0.3% to ~$4,343/oz, extending a 5th straight day of gains on safe-haven and rate-cut hopes. Silver firmer near $70.5. Brent near $78, WTI near $75, as the US–Iran Hormuz deal eases supply fears.
🏦 Today’s focus: FOMC decision tonight — Kevin Warsh’s first meeting as Fed Chair. Rates expected to hold, eyes on the dot plot and press conference. Also watch US retail sales and Eurozone CPI.
🕊️ Backdrop: US–Iran interim deal signing set for Friday in Switzerland, reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
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🌅 NordFX Morning Update — June 17, 2026 was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.