|

North Korea fired mid-range missile on Sunday, puts Hawaii and Alaska within range

Over the weekend, North Korea fired a mid-range missile near Pyongyang on Sunday, with the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) noting that the current capabilities put Hawaii and Alaska within range.

The missile flew about 500 kilometres and reached an altitude of about 560 kilometres, and was believed to have landed in water off North Korea's east coast.

As reported by Reuters: "A South Korean military official said the missile appeared to be an upgraded, extended-range version of the North's solid-fuel submarine-launched missile. The missile fired a week ago flew was liquid-fueled, and flew further."

The latest news from North Korea have virtually had no market reaction. As a reminder, last week's USD/JPY selling flows on the open after the previous launch saw the pair bounce back almost immediately, On top of that, the main focus for USD/JPY this week is likely to be a public testimony before a Senate Committee next Wednesday by former CIA Director James Comey, aimed to shed a light on whether or not US President Trump was trying to influence him over an ongoing investigation into Russia and its possible links with Trump's campaign. 

Author

Ivan Delgado

Ivan Delgado

Independent Analyst

Established in the Asian continent since 2009, Ivan studied a degree in Business at the University Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), while also earning a postgraduate degree in Business Administration.

More from Ivan Delgado
Share:

Editor's Picks

USD/JPY stays below 160.50 as markets assess BoJ decision

USD/JPY fluctuates in a relatively narrow range above 160.00 on Tuesday as markets assess the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) decision to raise the policy rate by 25 at the June meeting. Meanwhile, investors keep a close eye on news coming out of the Middle East, while preparing for the critical Fed meeting.

AUD/USD struggles for direction, still below 0.7100

AUD/USD looks to extend Monday’s recovery, although a challenge to the 0.7100 barrier remains elusive ahead of the opening bell in Asia. The Aussie Dollar was unable to take advantage of the RBA's relatively cautious message, which included keeping its OCR unchanged at 4.35% and leaving the possibility of further tightening in the future.

Gold: $4,000 or $4,500? The Fed may decide Gold’s next big move

Gold now surrenders part of its initial advance and recedes to the vicinity of the $4,350 mark per troy ounce on Tuesday. The early enthusiasm sparked by the US-Iran peace deal has faded somewhat, prompting investors to adopt a more prudent stance as they await further details of the agreement and key guidance from the Fed.

XRP pulls back as subdued ETF inflows, layered resistance cap upside
Ripple (XRP) remains elevated above $1.23 at the time of writing on Tuesday, struggling amid a capped upside. Despite an improved overall market sentiment driven by news of a peace agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East, capital inflows remain notably subdued.
1% rate, 160 Yen: Why Japan’s historic hike changed little
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) pushed its short-term policy rate to 1% on Tuesday, the highest setting since 1995 and a 31-year milestone in a normalization cycle barely two years old. It is the kind of number that should mark a turning point for the Yen, and it did almost nothing.
Why a hawkish RBA is no longer enough to lift the Australian Dollar

The Reserve Bank of Australia delivered more than what markets expected: a hawkish hold that should have supported the Aussie. But markets widely ignored it, focusing instead on slowing economic growth and proving that central bank messaging alone isn’t always enough to drive currencies.