Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

The dollar slumped to its lowest since early 2022 after President Donald Trump indicated he's comfortable with its recent decline. "No, I think it's great," Trump told reporters in Iowa on Tuesday when asked if he was worried about the currency's drop. "I think the value of the dollar — look at the business we're doing. The dollar's doing great." Trump's comments added fuel to what was already the dollar's deepest drop since his tariff rollout sent markets into a tailspin last year and fanned fears that his erratic policy shifts would drive overseas investors to pull back from the US. After his comments the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index extended losses to as much as 1.2%, as the US currency weakened against all of its major counterparts before steadying somewhat in Asia trading Wednesday. For more on the dollar, we heard from Robert Kaplan, Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman and Former Dallas Fed President. He spoke to Bloomberg's Stephen Engle at the Goldman Sachs Global Macro Conference Asia Pacific.
Plus - Microsoft, Meta and Tesla are among the companies expected to report results on Jan. 28 US. For more on what to look out for in the latest tech earnings and the overall AI trade, we heard from Phil Palumbo, Founder, CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Palumbo Wealth Management.
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President Donald Trump threatened to hike tariffs on goods from South Korea to 25%, citing the failure of the country's legislature to codify the trade deal. Trump in a social media post on Monday said the new rate would apply to autos, lumber, pharmaceutical products and “all other Reciprocal TARIFFS.” Under the existing agreement, the president set a 15% levy on South Korean exports.
It's an important week for earnings in Asia with Samsung and SK Hynix reporting results. Bloomberg's South Korean Equities Reporter, Youkyung Lee, discusses what the market is expecting.
Tech names including Meta Platforms, Tesla and Microsoft all report earnings on Wednesday, with Apple reporting Thursday. Zachary Hill is Portfolio Management at Horizon. He gives his take on the big week for the Mag 7, and the possibility of another US government shutdown.
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The yen gained on Monday as traders started the week on heightened alert for Japan intervening in the market following the currency’s recent slide. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned the market on Sunday, saying Japan will take all necessary measures to address speculative and highly abnormal movements. Kei Okamura is Portfolio Manager and Managing Director for Japan Equities at Neuberger Berman. He discusses Takaichi's warning, bonds, and the Japan CPI data coming later this week.

Gold rose beyond $5,000 an ounce for the first time, extending a rally fueled by US President Donald Trump’s reshaping of international relations and investor flight from sovereign bonds and currencies. Katy Kaminski, Chief Research Strategist at Alpha-Simplex, talks demand in precious metals and the upcoming Fed decision.
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Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.
In the US – a look ahead to earnings from Tesla and some of the biggest names in tech.
In the UK – a look ahead to the UK Prime Minister’s visit to China.
In Asia – a look ahead to Apple’s earnings and why business in Asia is a key focal point.
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TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd. have closed a long-awaited deal to transfer parts of their US operations to American investors, securing the popular video app's future in the US and avoiding a nationwide ban. Bloomberg's Annabelle Droulers explains.
In Asia - tech stocks are in focus. Alibaba Group is preparing an IPO of its chipmaking unit -- T-Head. The unit develops chips for computing and storage. And it's become a strong contender domestically thanks to sustained investment from Alibaba. For more on the AI rally, we heard from Ivy Ng, Chief APAC investment officer at DWS. She spoke to Bloomberg's David Ingles and Yvonne Man.
Plus - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's plan to temporarily cut the consumption tax on food to zero is undoubtedly a bad idea, and a rather nakedly political one. Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Gearoid Reidy writes that Takaichi's plan is likely to be less effective than more targeted measures to help lower-income households struggling with inflation, and temporary tax cuts have a habit of becoming sticky. Reidy joins us to explain.
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