Asian markets were mixed, with USD majors drifting and commodity FX slightly firmer. Fed Governor Waller stuck to his rate-cut script, while Japan’s CPI stayed above target. In China, a stronger yuan fix and surging equities capped a solid month.China stocks: Goldman Sachs raised its 12-month CSI 300 Index target to 4,900 from 4,500Pressure on Fed Gov Cook ramps up with pulte referring a third property transactionChina official manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMIs will be published over the weekendJapan finmin Kato say he is aware of rising interest ratesChina state planner says household consumption capability, confidence needs to be improvedUS VP Vance confirms the end of Federal Reserve independenceAustralian Private sector credit (July 2025) +0.7% m/m (expected +0.6%)PBOC sets USD/ CNY central rate at 7.1030 (vs. estimate at 7.1274)Caterpillar expects a US$1.5bn to 1.8bn hit from tariffs (up from prior 1.3 to 1.5)UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves could boost revenues by imposing a windfall tax on banksJapan July Industrial Output -1.6% m/m (exp -1.0%) & Retail sales +0.3% y/y (exp +1.8)Tokyo August 2025 headline CPI 2.6% y/y (2.6% expected)Japan July Unemployment rate 2.3% (expected 2.5%, prior 2.5%)Fed's Waller says interest rates will be cut toward neutral, only question is how quicklyTrump’s Fed pick Stephen Miran hearing to be September 4, US Senate Banking Committee saysFed's Waller says the time has come to move US interest rates lowerFinancial Times:Canada does not expect Donald Trump to drop all his tariffs on the countryNew Zealand August consumer confidence down 2.9% m/m in August (Prior -4.1%)Iran’s foreign minister hits back at France, Germany and United KingdomPowell pivot boosts equities; SocGen expects 100bps cuts and higher markets aheadinvestingLive Americas FX news wrap 28 Aug: USD continues the decline started yesterdayBrazil plans to sign a trade agreement with Mexico this time next yearTrump official announces 'transitory' taxes for the next six monthsIt was a mixed session for regional equities and major FX in Asia. EUR/USD and GBP/USD edged lower, while AUD, NZD and CAD found a modest bid.Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, seen as a contender for the Fed chair role under Trump, stuck to his recent script of backing rate cuts, flagging September as the starting point for easing. In other Fed-related news, Pulte referred a third property transaction for review.Japan’s August CPI was broadly in line with forecasts, with core-core slightly above expectations and still above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. Consumer inflation has now held above 2% for more than three years. USD/JPY traded a contained 146.80–147.10 range.In China, the People’s Bank of China has lifted the CNY fixing by 0.65% through August, the biggest monthly shift since September 2024. The onshore CSI 300 is up around 10% this month, with turnover on track to hit a record. Asia-Pacstocks:Japan(Nikkei 225) -0.25%HongKong (Hang Seng) +0.66%ShanghaiComposite +0.16%Australia(S&P/ASX 200) -0.11% This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.