Yesterday's lurch lower by Wall St equities has been followed by an Asian downturn as contagion seeped into the region, raising fears that an ugly close ahead of the weekend could open up for further volatility next week.

• Risk contagion spreads to Asia but still very equity centered
• JPY is stronger but mostly within its recent trading range 
• Emerging market currencies starting to show nerves
• Hawkish Bank of England meant brief rally for GBP
• Traders need to watch 200-day moving averages in major indices
• An ugly close today could open up for further volatility next week
• Bottom line – stay on your toes and keep risk to a minimum