Chinese Yuan: Strengthens into US–China summit – Societe Generale

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

Societe Generale analysts observe USD/CNY trading below 6.80, with the Chinese Yuan at its strongest level since February 2023 ahead of the US/China summit. They attribute Yuan outperformance to safe-haven demand and solid trade data, while expecting only incremental outcomes from Trump’s visit, focused on trade discipline and limited confidence-building steps.

Safe-haven flows and trade surplus

"The Chinese yuan trades at the strongest level since February 2023, returning below 6.80/USD ahead of this week’s US/China summit. The outperformance of the Yuan in EM Asia this year has been more about China’s rising status as a safe-haven amid the geopolitical and energy storm."

"Foreign trade data also continue to support the currency. Exports climbed 14.1% yoy, lifting the surplus to $84.82bn in April."

"The visit of Trump is relatively low on expectations, underscored by a scaled‑down CEO delegation compared to 2017 and late invites that reflect internal policy divisions. The agenda will prioritize trade discipline and a possible short extension of the October trade truce, rather than headline‑grabbing deal announcements."

"China will likely press for relief from US technology export controls and greater policy certainty, while Washington is set to hold the line, keeping outcomes incremental while Iran and rare earth exports from China may also be discussed."

"Commercially, discussions may centre on narrow, symbolic deliverables, notably a prospective Boeing aircraft order, pointing to modest confidence‑building steps rather than a reset in bilateral ties."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor.)

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

AUD/USD flirts with 0.7000, lowest since early August amid bullish USD

AUD/USD hits a fresh low since early August during the Asian session on Friday and looks vulnerable near 0.7000 after breaking below the 200-day SMA overnight. Against the backdrop of the hawkish Fed, a two-day rally in oil prices revives inflation fears and continues to push US bond yields to multi-year highs. Adding to this, geopolitical risks lift the US Dollar to a two-month high, overshadowing RBA rate hike bets and weighing on the pair.

USD/JPY pulls back from three-week high after failing near 159.00

USD/JPY edges lower during the Asian session on Friday, stalling its recent strong move to a three-week high of 159.00 as Japanese Yen bears turn cautious amid intervention fears. Meanwhile, the US Dollar retains a strong bullish undertone as the Fed's hawkish outlook and oil-driven inflation fears continue to push US bond yields to multi-year peaks. Furthermore, the BoJ's dovish rate hike last week might cap JPY and support spot prices.

Gold treads water below $4,300

Gold grabs some buying attention and advances marginally at the end of the week, partially retracing the weekly decline, although it is still navigating below the key $4,300 mark per troy ounce. The fresh selling bias on the Greenback and the modest decline in US Treasury yields appear to support the humble advance in the precious metal.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin and Ethereum edge lower, XRP extends recovery as macro headwinds weigh

The broader cryptocurrency market is consolidating on Friday, with Bitcoin paring losses slightly above $84,000. Ethereum declines in tandem with BTC. Ripple (XRP), meanwhile, paints a different picture.

Fed vs BoJ: Both hiked. The market only believes one of them – and the chart shows which

The Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) have just done something remarkably similar. Both central banks raised interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) last week, both are confronting inflation risks, and both signal that future decisions will depend on incoming economic data.

Fed vs BoJ: Both hiked. The market only believes one of them – and the chart shows which

The Fed and the BoJ have just done something remarkably similar. Both central banks raised interest rates by 25 bps last week, both are confronting inflation risks, and both signal that future decisions will depend on incoming economic data.