Asian Forex Market Strengthens as US Virus Cases Soar

• JPY Posts Steady Gain to Start the Day
• Other Asian Markets also boosted
• COVID-19 Cases Increase to Make US Global Leader

Currencies and markets in Asia got Friday trading off to a positive start. Figures coming from Tokyo saw inflation easing to 0.4% for March. This, and the news that US cases of COVID-19 have now surpassed those of China, helped strengthen the JPY which has posted gains of more than 1% on the day against the US Dollar. Both the NZD, and the AUD, often traded as a proxy for the Chinese Yuan also posted increases.

This comes as confidence starts to return to the Chinese market, even though Beijing has now temporarily closed the country to all foreign visitors to prevent the spread of imported virus cases.

USD/JPY Improving From Low Point

Gains from the Japanese Yen against the USD during the Asian trading session on Friday have brought it back from a several week low point. Although the currency still remains under some strong selling pressure, this has been lightened by positive data released from Tokyo, combined with an easing of the USD safe-haven status from what it had been in the previous several days.

The JPY itself is a well-known currency that traders usually move to during times of uncertainty, though this had been rocked in recent weeks with the market turmoil present across Asia and the world. Stimulus hopes though, particularly in Japan, as PM Shinzo Abe prepped a $135 billion package for approval, have managed to thoroughly boost trader confidence. The Nikkei bounced back with a gain of almost 20,000 points Friday to reflect this.

Positive Ripple Felt Across Asia

While Japanese markets posted some of the biggest gains, there were rallies across the region. These extended to Shanghai and Hong Kong both posting positive numbers as the Asian economy looked to regain stability following a torrid period. Analysts are predicting a further push from these markets next week as they look to get ahead of US markets that are currently predicted to open lower after large gains on Wall Street yesterday.

The continuation of this positive trend will likely hinge a lot on news coming from China in the coming days and into next week as it continues to get back to work following the protracted shut down.

US Markets May be Shaken by Increased Case Numbers

With news coming today that the number of US COVID-19 cases has now overtaken that of China, traders wait to see how both the stock, and forex markets will respond. Traders were not deterred by huge unemployment numbers posted yesterday, but experts are predicting a slowdown to end the week with markets projected to open lower.

This comes after a significant rally saw the S&P 500 climb more than 6% yesterday. This could also prompt a further move away from the USD as traders look to other options for safety.

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