According to the Bangkok Post: Microsoft (MSFT.O) plans to invest $1 billion to build a data center in Thailand.

Ethereum fell back below $2,900 per coin, down 2.46% on the day.

Bitcoin fell back below $57,000 per coin, down 0.61% on the day.

The USD/JPY pair hit 156, up 1.05% on the day.

South Korea’s HSBC Manufacturing PMI for April was 49.4, up from 49.8 in the previous month.

Bank of Korea: Inflation is expected to continue to slow.

Bank of Japan meeting minutes: Some members said it would be desirable to reduce holdings of Japanese government bonds through redemption.

Bank of Japan meeting minutes: Some members believed that buying Japanese government bonds was not an active monetary policy tool.

Bank of Japan Minutes: Several central bank members said the value of the yen had deviated significantly from purchasing power parity.

Bank of Japan meeting minutes: Some members said that price increases may exceed expectations.

The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.7% in early trading.

Bank of Japan meeting minutes: Some members said it was important to convey the message that the central bank had no plans to raise interest rates quickly.

Bank of Korea: There is uncertainty about the Federal Reserve’s future monetary policy.

Bank of Japan meeting minutes: Members said they expected financial conditions to remain loose.

Minutes of the Bank of Japan meeting: A few members said the Bank of Japan should reduce the amount of bond purchases and reduce its bond holdings at some point in the future.

Minutes of the Bank of Japan meeting: Policy adjustments will be made based on economic and price conditions.

Goldman Sachs expects benchmark fuel oil margins in northwest Europe to reach $27 a barrel by December 2024.

US President Biden will travel to North Carolina on May 2nd local time.

Bank of Korea: If necessary, it will cooperate with the government to take market stabilization measures in the event of excessive market volatility.