Reuters
What appeared to be a dead cert a few weeks ago - the Federal Reserve embarking on a series of markets-friendly rate cuts in the first half of the year - is now looking unlikely, just as earnings season ramps up. Japan's finance minister wants to stem the yen's slide to a 34-year low, potentially without spending anything on intervention. Shunichi Suzuki held an unprecedented trilateral dialogue with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and his Korean counterpart, yielding a U.S. acknowledgement of the Asian nations' "serious concerns" about the steep drop in their currencies.