Reuters

Japan’s financial regulator on Thursday punished seven cryptocurrency exchanges, suspending business at the two of them, in an effort to shore up consumer protection after the $530 million theft of digital money from Tokyo-based Coincheck.

The dollar was little changed on Wednesday against a basket of currencies as traders await details on U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, which have touched off fears of a global trade war.

The Canadian dollar weakened against the greenback on Wednesday as the Bank of Canada worried about trade policy developments, but the loonie pared its loses on prospects of an exemption from U.S. metals tariffs.

The Bank of Canada held interest rates steady on Wednesday, as expected, saying that while trade policy is an “important and growing source of uncertainty,” inflation is running close to 2 percent and the economy is near capacity.

EU leaders will discuss global trade and the threat of a “serious trade dispute” during a special session at their summit on March 22-23, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.

The European Union offered Britain on Wednesday a free-trade agreement that is modest compared with what London has called for, and spells out clear limits on the access British banks could have to the bloc after the country leaves.

The European Union on Wednesday offered Britain a free trade agreement for their post-Brexit relationship, a draft text showed, outlining a much more limited cooperation than London had called for.

Short-dated Japanese government bond yields rose on Wednesday ahead of an auction later this week, while longer-dated bond yields dipped as the Bank of Japan’s buying operation highlighted limited selling interest.

Global stocks and the dollar slumped on Wednesday after a key advocate for free trade in the White House resigned, fanning fears that President Donald Trump will proceed with tariffs and risk a trade war.

The U.S. dollar dropped to a two-week low on Tuesday as traders bet on riskier currencies on news North and South Korea would hold their first summit in more than a decade and after the South said the North was willing to discuss denuclearization with the United States.