Asian stock markets headed for a second straight week of gains on Friday and the dollar for its first weekly rise in more than a month as investors have welcomed an apparent softening of the White House stance on China,

US stocks ended the day sharply lower Monday and the dollar tumbled as investors assessed continued tariff uncertainty and the implications of President Donald Trump’s ongoing mission to try and oust Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

The dollar tumbled on Monday to its lowest level in three years as investor confidence in the U.S. economy took another hit over President Donald Trump's attacks on the Federal Reserve chairman, potentially putting the central bank's independence under threat.

In fact, there’s a long history of presidents putting pressure on Fed chiefs to cut interest rates. But President Trump’s public harangues to fire Jerome Powell are unprecedented and could create more difficulties.