Fed Vice-Chair Clarida's dovish comments......>

FOREX: Fed Vice-Chair Clarida's dovish comments dragged USD to the bottom of the

G10 currency table during Asia-Pac trade, while U.S. Pres Trump's remark that

"if we can't make a deal with Congress (re: the border wall), we'll probably

declare a national emergency" added to the pressure on the greenback. As a

reminder, Clarida noted that weaker-than-exp. inflation means that the Fed can

afford to be patient & that if crosswinds for the U.S. econ persist, policy

should respond. Clarida also noted that the Fed shouldn't hesitate to adjust its

balance sheet roll off if needed. 

- USD/CNH has shed ~380 pips, as U.S. Tsy Sec Mnuchin pointed to plans for top

Chinese trade envoy Liu He to journey to the U.S. later this month. Worth

mentioning the visit may be postponed due to the ongoing U.S. gov't shutdown. 

- AUD crosses knee-jerked higher upon the release of strong Aussie retail sales

data, before the move faded. Meanwhile, kiwi advanced steadily, climbing atop

the G10 pile; NZD/USD trades above $0.6800 at writing. 

- Key economic releases today include U.S. CPI, as well as UK output, GDP &

trade balance data. Elsewhere, ECB's Mersch & Visco are due to speak.