Sydney Open Briefing: Friday, July 31, 2026

Sydney traders begin Friday’s session following a notable shift in currency markets, with the Japanese Yen strengthening by 1.69% over the last 24 hours, while the US Dollar declined by 1.07%. This movement saw USDJPY drop by 2.07%, and USTEC rise by 2.14%, setting a backdrop for a busy session dominated by Japanese economic releases.

Overnight, US data showed the Dallas Fed Trimmed Mean PCE Inflation Rate at 1.4%, significantly below the 2.3% consensus. Continuing Jobless Claims came in at 1.782M, lower than the 1.819M consensus. The EIA Natural Gas Storage Change was 28B, exceeding the 19B consensus. Mexico’s Fiscal Balance reported a substantial surprise at -168.139B against a -0.9B consensus.

Attention now turns to a series of high impact Japanese releases. Ahead, traders await Tokyo CPI excl. Food and Energy y/y with a consensus of 1.7%, and Retail Sales m/m with a consensus of -1.5%. The BoJ Interest Rate Decision, Monetary Policy Statement, and BoJ Outlook Report are all scheduled for 02:30 UTC, followed by the BoJ Press Conference at 06:30 UTC. The broader risk meter sits at -0.30, indicating a slight risk-off sentiment.

The BoJ Interest Rate Decision and accompanying statements will be the most closely watched event for this session.

Scheduled this session (High and Medium impact)

Times are UTC. This brief describes measured market state and the published schedule. It is not financial advice and nothing in it is a trade recommendation.