US equities opened unchanged

European equities traded stable near opening levels throughout dealings with France outperforming as investors scaled back worst case scenario bets ahead of this weekend's first presidential election round. US equities opened unchanged.
US eco data slightly disappointed. Weekly jobless claims rose from 234k to 244k (vs 240k expected), but remain near historically low levels. The Philly Fed business outlook declined from 32.8 to 22 in April while a more modest setback to 22 was forecast.
Dallas Fed President Kaplan said he still thinks 3 rate hikes are appropriate this year and advocates starting to wind down the balance sheet at the end of 2017/early 2018. Despite his generally hawkish profile, he said that the neutral rate may be closer to 2% than 3%.
North Korean state media warned the US of a "super‐mighty pre‐emptive strike" after US Secretary of State Tillerson said the United States was looking at ways to bring pressure to bear on North Korea over its nuclear programme.
Consensus is building towards agreement to extend an OPEC deal to limit output by three to six months as the producer group seeks to achieve its goal of bring down inventory stocks, Saudi Arabia's oil minister al‐Falih said.
In the first poll since PM May called the June 8 election the Conservative Party are enjoying a 24% lead. The poll from YouGov, taken between April 18‐19, shows voting intentions for the Conservative Party at 48% with Labour second at 24%.

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EUR/USD hits two-day highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD picks up pace and reaches two-day tops around 1.1820 at the end of the week. The pair’s move higher comes on the back of renewed weakness in the US Dollar amid growing talk that the Fed could deliver an interest rate cut as early as March. On the docket, the flash US Consumer Sentiment improves to 57.3 in February.

GBP/USD reclaims 1.3600 and above

GBP/USD reverses two straight days of losses, surpassing the key 1.3600 yardstick on Friday. Cable’s rebound comes as the Greenback slips away from two-week highs in response to some profit-taking mood and speculation of Fed rate cuts. In addition, hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill are also collaborating with the quid’s improvement.

Gold climbs further, focus is back to 45,000

Gold regains upside traction and surpasses the $4,900 mark per troy ounce at the end of the week, shifting its attention to the critical $5,000 region. The move reflects a shift in risk sentiment, driving flows back towards traditional safe haven assets and supporting the yellow metal.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP rebound amid risk-off, $2.6 billion liquidation wave

Bitcoin edges up above $65,000 at the time of writing on Friday, as dust from the recent macro-triggered sell-off settles. The leading altcoin, Ethereum, hovers above $1,900, but resistance at $2,000 caps the upside. Meanwhile, Ripple has recorded the largest intraday jump among the three assets, up over 10% to $1.35.

Three scenarios for Japanese Yen ahead of snap election

The latest polls point to a dominant win for the ruling bloc at the upcoming Japanese snap election. The larger Sanae Takaichi’s mandate, the more investors fear faster implementation of tax cuts and spending plans.

XRP rally extends as modest ETF inflows support recovery

Ripple is accelerating its recovery, trading above $1.36 at the time of writing on Friday, as investors adjust their positions following a turbulent week in the broader crypto market. The remittance token is up over 21% from its intraday low of $1.12.