USD/JPY gains ground amid Japan bank holiday

USD/JPY tilted higher in Asian trade amid a lack of data from Japan and ahead of US data. 

As of 05:58 GMT, USD/JPY rose 0.01% to 107.16, with an intraday high at 107.20. 

From the US, unemployment claims for the week ending July 18 are expected unchanged at 1.3 million, while continuing claims are estimated down 271 thousand to 17.06 million. 

The CB leading index is expected up 2.1%, down from 2.8% in May. 

US Senate leader Mitchell McConnell doubted passing new economic rescue bills before the current bill fully reaches its destinations.  

US President Donald Trump touted efforts to reach a quick and safe Covid 19 vaccine, noting the coronavirus crisis will worsen before becoming better once more.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced positive early results on their shared Covid 19 vaccine, while the Oxford vaccine showed promising results as well in preliminary trials.