Conflicting messages about US-China trade tariffs give the yen a mild boost
At the same time, the increasing violence in the Hong Kong protests - where a police officer fired at protesters - is also weighing on risk sentiment in Asia today.
Hong Kong stocks are slumping heavily and alongside the flip flop from US-China trade comments - Navarro over the weekend here - it is helping to keep the yen bid with USD/JPY beginning to slide under 109.00 now.
Meanwhile, the kiwi is staying a little more firm with exporter flows cited in keeping the currency bid to start the day. NZD/USD is mildly higher near 0.6350 now from opening levels close to 0.6330 today.
The action among other major currencies are more measured with the pound a little higher but nothing that stands out all too much. UK Q3 GDP data will be in focus later today.
The dollar is trading modestly as market participants continue to keep their anticipation on further developments in US-China trade talks.
Looking ahead, the risk mood will continue to dictate trading sentiment for now so be wary of trade headlines that could affect that during the week.
