The U.S. Department of Energy awarded contracts for nearly 41 mln barrels of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, completing the final tranche of a 172 mln-barrel emergency SPR release initiated under the Trump administration to dampen price spikes after the outbreak of war involving Iran. Contracts went to firms including ExxonMobil. The tranche is the second-largest in U.S. history and part of an International Energy Agency plan to release 400 mln barrels globally; since the conflict be

NZD/USD slipped in Asian trade on Friday, giving back part of the prior session's gains and ending a rebound from a two-week low. The pair traded around 0.5625 to 0.5630 and looked set for its first meaningful weekly decline in about three weeks after the RBNZ unexpectedly held the official cash rate at 2.75%, disappointing investors who had priced a near-certain 25bp hike. Four policymakers, including the governor, preferred to wait to assess the lagged effects of July and September hikes; the decision outweighed the MPC's overall tightening bias and pressured the New Zealand dollar. Ongoing dollar selling for a third session limited NZD downside, while elevated oil prices are keeping inflation concerns alive and reinforcing expectations the Fed will remain hawkish, which may cap further dollar weakness.

FOXCONN chairman said its China business has not declined over the past few years.