The Japanese yen weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Thursday, after a U.S. federal court blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to impose sweeping reciprocal tariffs against its global trading partners under emergency powers, saying he exceeded his authority.

The Bank of Korea lowered its benchmark rate by a quarter-point to mitigate downside pressure on the economy. The monetary policy board, governed by Rhee Chang Yong, unanimously decided to cut the Base Rate by 25 basis points to 2.50 percent. The bank had previously reduced the benchmark rate by a quarter-point in February.

Joblessness in Germany increased more than expected in May as a weak economy continued to impede job creation, official data revealed on Wednesday. The number of unemployed increased sharply by 34,000 in May compared to April's rise of 6,000, the Federal Employment Agency said. Economists expected a monthly increase of 12,000.

The French economy recovered in the first quarter, as initially estimated, the statistical office INSEE reported Wednesday. Gross domestic product grew 0.1 percent from the fourth quarter, when the economy shrank 0.1 percent.

The U.S. dollar strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday, as traders await the minutes from May's FOMC meeting due later in the day.

Unemployment from Germany and revised GDP and consumer spending from France are due on Wednesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 2.00 am ET, Destatis is scheduled to issue Germany's import prices for April. Import prices are forecast to fall 1.4 percent month-on-month, faster than the 1.0 percent decrease in March.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand reduced its benchmark rate by a quarter-point, as widely expected on Wednesday, as higher trade tariffs and increased policy uncertainties overseas are set to weigh on domestic economic outlook. The Monetary Policy Committee, led by acting governor Christian Hawkesby, decided to cut the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent. The decision was passed

A report released by the Conference Board on Tuesday showed a substantial improvement by U.S. consumer confidence in the month of May. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index spiked to 98.0 in May after plunging to a downwardly revised 85.7 in April.

With orders for transportation equipment pulling back sharply, the Commerce Department released a report on Tuesday showing a steep drop by new orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods in the month of April. The Commerce Department said durable goods orders tumbled by 6.3 percent in April after surging by a downwardly revised 7.6 percent in March.

Eurozone economic confidence strengthened more than expected in May as manufacturers, consumers and retailers showed signs of recovery, survey data from the European Commission revealed on Tuesday. The Economic Sentiment Indicator climbed to 94.8 from 93.8 in April. The reading was above forecast of 94.0. The rise in the ESI was primarily driven by the improvements in the industry, retail trad

German consumer confidence is set to improve moderately to a seven-month high in June driven by strengthening economic and income expectations but overall level remained weak, a closely watched survey revealed Tuesday. The consumer climate indicator rose to -19.9 in June from -20.8 in the previous month, a survey jointly published by the market research group GfK and NIM showed.

The antipodean currencies such as the Australia and the New Zealand dollars weakened against their major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday amid rising risk-off mood, as traders remain cautious amid uncertainty after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to postpone the implementation of 50% tariffs on the European Union goods to July 9 from June 1. The UK and US stock markets were shut for a holiday.

Europe new car registrations declined in the four months to April as uncertainty over the trade tariffs weighed on demand, data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, revealed on Tuesday. New car sales fell 1.2 percent in the year-to-date period compared to the previous year. Among big-four economies, Spain reported a robust sales growth of 12.2 percent.

Economic confidence from the euro area and consumer sentiment results from Germany are the top economic news due on Tuesday. At 2.00 am ET, the market research group GfK publishes Germany's consumer sentiment survey data. The forward-looking consumer confidence index is forecast to improve to -19.9 in June from -20.6 in May.

The commodity currencies such as Australia, the New Zealand and the Canadian dollars strengthened against their major currencies in the Asian session on Monday, after U.S. President Donald Trump extended a deadline for EU trade deal until 9 July, following a call with European Commission president.

The Commerce Department released a report on Friday showing new home sales in the U.S. in the month of April spiked compared to a significantly downwardly revised level in March. The report said new home sales soared by 10.9 percent to an annual rate of 743,000 in April after jumping by 2.6 percent to a downwardly revised rate of 670,000 in March.

The German economy grew at a stronger-than-estimated pace in the first quarter as higher tariff threats by the U.S. administration led to the frontloading of orders for the country's goods, lifting exports and industrial production. Gross domestic product grew 0.4 percent, which was double the initial estimate of 0.2 percent, a detailed report from Destatis revealed on Friday.

The British pound strengthened against other major currencies in the European session on Friday, after U.K. retail sales rebounded more than expected in April as good weather boosted food store sales.

The U.S. dollar weakened against other major currencies in the European session on Friday, amid concerns about the fiscal impact of the U.S. Republican tax cut bill.

UK retail sales rebounded more than expected in April as good weather boosted food store sales, official data showed on Friday. A monthly survey today showed that British consumer confidence strengthened in May on hopes of easing trade tensions and the interest rate reduction by the Bank of England. Retail sales grew 1.2 percent on a monthly basis in April, following a revised 0.1 percent rise

Retail sales from the UK and detailed quarterly national accounts from Germany are the top economic news due on Friday. At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK retail sales for April. Economists forecast retail sales to grow 0.3 percent on a monthly basis, after rising 0.4 percent in March.

Existing home sales in the U.S. unexpectedly saw further downside in the month of April, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on Thursday. NAR said existing home sales fell by 0.5 percent to an annual rate of 4.00 million in April after plunging by 5.9 percent to a rate of 4.02 million in March.

A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday unexpectedly showed a slight decline by first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended May 17th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims edged down to 227,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000. The dip surprised economists, who had expected jobless claims to inch up to 230,000.

The euro weakened against other major currencies in the European session on Thursday, following the release of Germany's composite output index for May.

The euro area private sector logged a renewed fall in May due to a sharp downturn in services activity, flash purchasing managers' survey compiled by S&P Global showed on Thursday. The flash composite output index fell to 49.5 in May from 50.4 in April. The score fell below the 50.0 no-change mark for the first time in five months.