Tokyo inflation cooled more than expected, while retail sales and production declined. The Bank of Japan will wait to see if wage growth and prices increase before tightening again—most likely in June

The Japanese Yen maintains its offered tone through the Asian session on Friday, which, along with the emergence of some US Dollar buying, keeps the USD/JPY pair well bid around the 154.00 mark.

Meta Platforms surged 10% after Q4 results crushed expectations with $59.89 billion in revenue and an $8.88 EPS beat. Despite a massive $135B CapEx forecast for AI, Meta remains the "cheapest" Mag 7 stock with a 22X P/E.