The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas hiked its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 5.5% on Thursday, a move twice as large as economists had expected, as it continues to fight inflation driven by high fuel prices.
AUD/USD rose to its strongest point since late September after RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser said price pressures looked "materially worse" than anticipated, according to Commerzbank's Norman Liebke, as traders sharply lifted hike expectations.
Japanese government bond yields eased across maturities as traders sought safety ahead of the Bank of Japan's upcoming policy decision, with the 10-year note falling 1 basis point to 2.88%.
The US Dollar Index fell to a fresh three-week low around 101.45 as 10-year Treasury yields dropped 0.7% to near 5.07%, pressured by weaker housing data.
South Korea's central bank left its benchmark rate at 3.00% on Thursday, taking a breather after back-to-back increases in July and August. The call matched the view of all 34 economists polled by Reuters.
Saudi Arabia's crude exports rose 7.9% in August to 4.451 million barrels per day, a five-month high, even as the kingdom's oil production dropped to an unprecedented 6.24 million bpd, JODI data show.
Brent crude rose about 2% to $111.10 a barrel and WTI climbed to $98.98 after Yemen's Houthis hit a Saudi oil field and an airport, deepening concerns over Middle East supply.
Moscow's central bank offloaded 200,000 troy ounces of gold last month, pushing national reserves down to their smallest size since 2019 and pointing to ongoing budget pressure.
General Motors chief executive Mary Barra said the company will roll out hybrid models across new vehicle categories as US gasoline prices hover around $4.28 a gallon, compared with $3.04 a year ago.
The premium of Oman crude over Dubai, a key gauge of Middle East supply strength, has dropped to $4.22 a barrel, its lowest since late July, as tanker flows through the Strait of Hormuz rebound.