• The dollar clawed back some ground on Friday after skidding to a two-week low against the yen, but was still on track for weekly losses after the Federal Reserve meeting minutes disappointed dollar bulls.
The greenback inched 0.1 percent higher to 112.76 yen JPY= but was just off a two-week low of 112.55 plumbed overnight and down 0.2 percent for the week.
· Trump says he wants to build up the U.S. nuclear arsenal to ensure it is at the "top of the pack," saying the United States has fallen behind in its atomic weapons capacity.
• According to a poll, French far right leader Marine Le Pen has increased her lead in first round of France's presidential election but would lose the May 7 run-off against either the centre-right's Froncois Fillon or centrist Emmanuel Macron.
A BVA poll showed Macron beating Le Pen comfortably, by 61 percent to 39 percent, in the runoff vote.
• U.S. oil prices fell on Friday after official data released late on Thursday showed stockpiles rose last week for a seventh straight week, although losses were muted as inventory growth was well below expectations.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 was down 16 cents at $54.29 by 0728 GMT (2:28 a.m. ET). WTI was on track for a weekly gain of about 1.6 percent, which would be its biggest increase over a week this year.
Brent crude LCOc1 was down 19 cents at $56.39 and was on track for a weekly gain of about 1 percent.
• Traders are turning the spigots to drain the priciest storage tanks holding U.S. crude stockpiles as strengthening markets make it unprofitable to store for future sale and cuts in global production open export opportunities.
That could signal the beginning of the end for a two-year trade play that came about during an international price war and global oil glut. It is also what the world's largest oil exporters wanted to see when they agreed last year to work together in a historic supply cut to end the glut.
• Although crude oil inventories in the U.S. are expected to rise, the global oil market is showing signs of tightness and will continue to see crude stocks draw down, Goldman Sachs has said in recent note.
In addition, Goldman Sachs expects the higher base demand growth this year – projected at 1.5 million bpd – to fully offset increased production in the U.S.
Reference: Asian News International, Reuters
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