Optimistic trade comments from the Chinese....>

FOREX: Optimistic trade comments from the Chinese leaders provided the pivotal

point of the otherwise lacklustre Asia-Pac session, reviving risk appetite

somewhat. The first impulse came from Chinese President Xi, who pointed to

"substantial progress" in trade talks with the U.S. and called for an early

conclusion of a bilateral deal. Initial impact waned to a degree, before Chinese

VP Liu noted that "a new consensus [with Washington] has been reached." The

Antipodeans rose as a result, but only AUD managed to hold gains.

- Risk-on flows weighed on the safe haven currency bloc, with JPY leading losses

among G10 currencies. Elsewhere, JPY shrugged off Japanese labour cash earnings

and household spending prints, both undershooting forecasts.

- Cable ticked higher after BBC reported that EU Council Pres Tusk is proposing

to offer the UK a 12-month "flexible" Brexit delay.

- That being said, worth highlighting G10 crosses were range-bound overnight.

- Focus today turns to U.S. non-farm payrolls, Canadian labour mkt data, as well

as German & Norwegian industrial outputs, while Atlanta Fed Pres Bostic is the

sole central bank speaker. China & Hong Kong are off for national holidays.