U.S. crude oil imports for the week ending May 15 were -88,000 barrels, compared to 337,000 barrels in the previous week.

BESSENT ALERTS FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO IRAN'S MANIPULATION

US Dollar 1. Warsh will be sworn in as Federal Reserve Chairman on Friday, with the swearing-in ceremony presided over by Trump. 2. Fed's Goolsby: Too many rate cuts will further trigger inflation. 3. The UK increased its holdings of US Treasury bonds in March, while China and Japan reduced their holdings. Euro 1. Bundesbank President: We can do a lot to calm the markets and provide positive momentum. 2. EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Dombrovskis: Under the shadow of the Iranian conflict, the EU will lower its economic growth forecast and raise its inflation forecast. 3. French Finance Minister: The G7 unanimously agrees that the IMF and World Bank need to increase their assistance to vulnerable countries. Pound Sterling 1. UK Deputy Prime Minister says Starmer will not set a "timetable for resignation." 2. IMF official: UK GDP growth is expected to be 1.0% in 2026, compared to a 0.8% forecast in April; UK inflation is expected to peak slightly below 4% by the end of 2026 and return to the 2% target level by the end of 2027. Japanese Yen 1. Japanese official: Japan has the capacity to intervene in savings and cash matters. 2. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama: Appropriate measures will be taken to address exchange rate fluctuations. 3. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara: Closely monitoring price movements in the Middle East. 4. Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Minoru Jonouchi: Additional budgetary funding for emergency and necessary measures is not ruled out. 5. A senior official at the Japanese Ministry of Finance questioned the move to sell US Treasury bonds to support the yen, expressing concern that intervention might backfire. Other 1. Hungarian Prime Minister Majol: Hungary's goal is to adopt the euro; Hungary will reduce its budget deficit and will not support austerity measures. 2. Reserve Bank of Australia Assistant Governor Hunt: Recent oil price increases present particularly difficult challenges. The risk of rising inflation expectations is high. 3. Swedish Central Bank: Liquidity in the spot and forward markets, including foreign exchange swaps, is still considered good; liquidity has deteriorated slightly over the past six months. 4. Thailand's United Business Group (UBG) maintained its 2026 GDP growth forecast for Thailand between 1.2% and 1.6%, and expects inflation to be between 2.0% and 3.0% in 2026. 5. The Governor of the Indonesian Central Bank stated that no specific target value has been set for the Indonesian rupiah exchange rate. The rupiah typically faces pressure in April, May, and June, followed by appreciation in July and August. 6. The Reserve Bank of Australia's meeting minutes indicated that members expect inflation to return to target without further policy tightening; economic growth is likely to remain below potential levels for some time. 7. According to a Reuters poll, 9 out of 16 economists said the Indonesian central bank will raise interest rates by 25 basis points to 5.00% in May; the median forecast in the survey indicates that the Indonesian central bank's 7-day reverse repo rate will be 5.00% by the end of 2026 (from 4.75% in the April survey).