Watching & waiting
• Consolidation. Quiet start to the week. Easing French election risks supported European equities & the EUR. Softer USD pushed AUD a bit higher.• JPY watch. USD/JPY is around levels which previously triggered bouts of FX intervention. Verbal rhetoric by Japanese officials is starting to pick up.• Inflation pulse. US core PCE deflator (due Fri) likely to slow, while monthly AU CPI (due Weds) could re-accelerate. Diverging trends are AUD supportive. It has been a quiet start to the new week. This isn’t surprising given the bulk of the potential market moving global releases such as US durable goods orders...