Japanese exports rise for 5th straight month, surplus with US drops 4.2%

Omkar Godbole FXStreet Contributor

The data released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MoF) today showed the exports rose for the fifth straight month in April and the trade surplus with the US dropped 4.2% year-on-year.

Exports rose 7.5% y/y in April from a year ago, below the estimate of 7.8% growth. Imports jumped 15.1%, beating the consensus estimate of 14.8% increase.

Japan's trade surplus with the United States fell 4.2% in April from a year ago to JPY 586.7 billion. A Bloomberg report says Exports to China, Japan’s largest trading partner, climbed 14.8%, while the shipments to the EU increased 2.2%.

A drop in the surplus with the US means Trump will have a hard time justifying his criticism of Japan’s trade practises. Earlier this month, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had said that Washington could no longer sustain inflated trade deficits with its trading partners.

Author

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

EUR/USD looks vacillating around 1.1800

EUR/USD alternates gains with losses around the 1.1800 neighbourhood amid marginal gains at the end of the week. The pair’s tepid move higher comes against the backdrop of a generalised lack of direction in the FX galaxy and the irresolute price action in the US Dollar.

GBP/USD slips back to daily lows near 1.3450

GBP/USD trades on the back foot on Friday, adding to Thursday’s losses around the 1.3450 region. Cable’s move lower comes amid the lacklustre performance of the Greenback in a context of a wide spread absence of volatility.

Gold flirts with four-week highs past $5,200

Gold adds to the ongoing recovery, up for the third day in a row and surpassing the $5,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The relentless uptick in the precious metal remains bolstered by steady geopolitical tensions and persistent uncertainty surrounding the US trade policy.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary.

Changing the game: International implications of recent tariff developments

The Supreme Court ruling on International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs provides limited relief for the rest of the world, with weighted average tariff rates modestly lower.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.