What to watch in the Asia session

Asia Session Prep — 21:00–08:00 UTC

The US close hands over a day that belonged to crypto headlines — the SEC's "Regulation Crypto Assets" framework, with its safe-harbor and $75M exemption proposals, stole the show — while European bonds kept sliding and oil kept climbing.

This window's main event is Australian employment (High): the unemployment rate and employment change give a live read on the labour market, and the Aussie tends to listen closely when it feeds RBA expectations. China's 1-year and 5-year loan prime rates follow — low-tier, but always scanned for easing signals. Japan's trade balance and Australia's inflation expectations are lighter touches, and a German PPI reading lands late in the window.

Yesterday's question still frames the day: do yields settle or push higher, and does oil's climb keep inflation anxiety simmering? One notable shift — crypto's tilt has cooled from bullish to neutral. The regulatory backdrop is still constructive, but with no fresh catalyst in these hours, bitcoin and ether sit on their hands. And keep an eye on regional tech sentiment: the Kospi's slide may still be casting a shadow.

Session Technical Barometer

- EUR/USD: NEUTRAL — German PPI is a low-tier release, leaving the pair balanced.

- GBP/USD: NEUTRAL — No scheduled catalysts; no technical lean.

- USD/JPY: NEUTRAL — Japan's trade balance is low-impact, not enough to push.

- Gold: NEUTRAL — No gold-specific events; flat stance.

- Oil: NEUTRAL — No scheduled oil catalysts; squarely neutral.

- Bitcoin: NEUTRAL — Headlines ongoing but no direct event; bias neutral.

- Ethereum: NEUTRAL — No scheduled catalyst; even-handed tilt.