BENGALURU: Asian currencies were subdued on Thursday with investors tracking developments in US trade negotiations, while South Korean stocks led gains among regional equities on optimism around President Lee Jae-myung’s pro-growth policies.
In South Korea, shares rose 1.5% to their highest since July 2024, after gaining 2.7% on Wednesday. The won advanced 0.3% to hit an eight-month high.
South Korea’s new President Lee held his first cabinet meeting on Thursday, focusing on an emergency package to tackle stagnating economic growth and provide household relief.
MSCI’s gauge of Asian emerging market equities advanced 1.3%. Shares in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand gained between 0.6% and 0.8%.
Regional currencies were largely tepid against a feeble dollar as weak economic data renewed concerns over sluggish US growth and persistent inflation.
The Malaysian ringgit, Taiwan dollar and Thai baht all inched up 0.1%.
With the early July deadline for the pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” drawing near, market attention is on the progress in US trade negotiations.
Maybank analysts expect trade developments to remain a key driver of currencies as the US persists on its tariff agenda.
Trump described China’s Xi Jinping as “tough” and “extremely hard to make a deal with” in a social media post, dampening hopes for a swift end to trade tensions and leaving investors on edge.
“While the prospect of no bilateral deals by early July and the resumption of reciprocal tariffs could yet be negative for Asia FX, a stable CNY alongside implicit FX commitments could see some currencies, especially in North Asia, remain resilient,” analysts at BofA said.
China’s yuan was last trading flat.
The Philippine peso rose 0.2%, while stocks were flat. Data showed the country’s annual inflation eased for a fourth straight month in May, while the central bank signalled it would allow for a more accommodative monetary policy.
