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European Economics Preview: German Ifo Business Confidence Data Due Business confidence from Germany is the major report due on Monday. Also, Germany plans to raise as much as EUR 3 billion from the short-term debt auction. The Czech Statistical Office is slated to publish business sentiment survey results at 3.00 am ET. In the meantime, Hungary's retail sales figures are due. Economists expect sales to grow 0.1 percent annually in January after rising 1.5 percent in December. Half an hour later, Dutch producer confidence data for March is due. The index dropped to -1.5 in February from -1.4 in January. At 4.00 am ET, consumer confidence from Italy and retail sales and unemployment from Poland are due. Economists expect retail sales growth to ease to 9.9 percent in February from 14.3 percent in January. At the same time, the jobless rate is forecast to rise to 13.5 percent from 13.2 percent. At 5.00 am ET, German Ifo business sentiment is due. Business confidence is forecast to fall slightly to 109.5 in March from 109.6 in February. At the same time, the expectations index is seen improving to 102.7 from 102.3 a month ago. The German government plans to raise a maximum of EUR 3 billion from the issue of Treasury discount paper or 'Bubills' with a maturity of 12 months. The results of the auction are due at 6.30 am ET. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: French Business Sentiment Due Business confidence survey data from France and mortgage approvals from the U.K. are the important reports due on Friday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 3.45 am ET, the French statistical office Insee is scheduled to release business sentiment survey results for March. Business confidence is expected to rise to 93 from 92 a month ago. Spain's statistical office INE is slated to publish producer price data at 4.00 am ET. Economists forecast producer prices to rise 3.4 percent year-on-year, following January's 3.6 percent increase. At 5.00 am ET, Italy's retail sales figures are due. Retail sales are expected to fall 0.1 percent on a monthly basis in January after easing 1.1 percent in December. Annually, the decline is seen at 3.4 percent. Also, the KOF Swiss Economic Institute is scheduled to issue March Economic Forecast. In the meantime, Iceland's wage cost index for February is due. Turkey's foreign tourist arrival figures for February are also due at 5.00 am ET. Tourist arrivals increased 0.6 percent year-on-year in January. British Bankers' Association is set to publish February mortgage approvals for February. The number of mortgages approved in February is seen at 37,250 compared to 38,092 a month ago. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

Euro Rises After Greek Parliament Approves New Bailout Deal The euro advanced against its most major counterparts in early Asian deals on Wednesday after Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos won parliamentary approval for a new international bailout. Reports suggested that Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos won approval for a new 130 billion-euro ($172 billion) aid package that will keep the country's possible financial collapse at bay. A total of 213 lawmakers voted today in favor of the legislation and 79 against, reports quoted Acting Parliament Speaker Grigoris Niotis was saying in remarks carried live on state-run Vouli TV. The euro strengthened to an 8-day high of 0.8362 against the pound and a 12-day high of 1.3270 against the dollar, compared to Tuesday's New York session close of 0.8339 and 1.3223, respectively. The next upside target level for the euro is seen at 0.840 against the pound and 1.330 against the dollar. Against the yen, the euro climbed to near a 5-month high of 111.01 and if the euro gains further, it may likely target the 111.6 level. At Tuesday's New York session close, the euro-yen pair was quoted at 110.70. Looking ahead, Japan's all industry activity index for January is due at 12:30 am ET. Swiss M3 money supply and the U.K. public finance data - both for February and the Bank of England's March meeting minutes are scheduled for release in the European session. U.K. Chancellor George Osborne will present his Budget to Parliament at 8:30 am ET. Canada's leading indicators and the U.S. existing home sales - both for February are expected in the New York morning session. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: UK Inflation Data Due Inflation data from the UK and industrial production figures from Switzerland are the main European economics news due on Tuesday. At 3 am ET, Germany's Federal Statistical Office is expected to publish producer price figures for February. Economists forecast a 3.2 percent rise in prices compared to 3.4 percent increase in January. Unemployment figures from Finland is also due at the same time. Hungarian Central Statistical Office is slated to release the January gross earnings figures at 4 am ET. Swiss industrial production is due at 4.15 am ET. Production is forecast to fall 2 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter, but is expected to grow 2.6 percent compared to the previous quarter. At 4.30 am ET, Statistics Netherlands is scheduled to release the consumer confidence data for this month. Confidence index is expected to remain almost unchanged from previous month's level. At 5.30 am ET, the Office for National Statistics is expected to publish the consumer price index for February. CPI is forecast to rise 3.3 percent, slower than 3.6 percent in the previous month. The core inflation rate is seen easing to 2.3 percent. At 5 30 am ET, the Spanish Treasury is set to auction 12 and 18 month Treasury Bills. The sale is having a target of EUR 4.5 -5.5 billion. Elsewhere, Greece is set to auction 13-week T-Bills with maturity June 22. The amount to be raised is EUR 1 billion. The European Financial Stability Facility successfully raised EUR 1.5 billion from its inaugural 20-year bond sale on Monday. The Confederation of British Industry is slated to release its industrial trends survey for the month of March at 7 am ET. Further, the Polish central bank is expected to announce the core consumer price figures for February at 9 am ET. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

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European Economics Preview: Eurozone Current Account Data Due Current account data from the euro area is the only major statistical report due on Monday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 5.00 am ET, the European Central Bank is scheduled to issue current account figures for January. The Eurozone current account surplus totaled EUR 16.3 billion in December. In the meantime, Italy's industrial order figures are due. Economists forecast industrial orders to fall 3.2 percent month-on-month in January after rising 5.5 percent in December. At 6.00 am ET, Eurostat is slated to publish Eurozone construction output for January. In December, output increased 0.3 percent on a monthly basis and 7.8 percent from a year ago. Poland's industrial output and producer prices are due at 9.00 am ET. Industrial production is expected to increase 8.8 percent year-on-year in February, slower than the 9 percent growth in January. Producer price inflation is seen slowing to 6.5 percent annually from 8 percent in January. France's short-term debt auction is due at 10.00 am ET. The government aims to raise EUR 4 billion from 91-day T-bill auction and a maximum of EUR 1.8 billion from 168-day T-bills. Also, a 350-day bill auction is also due. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: Eurozone Trade Data Due Foreign trade data from Eurozone is the major news due on Friday, a light day for the European economic news. At 4 am ET, the Turkish Statistical Institute is expected to publish the February results of the consumer confidence survey. In January, consumer sentiment improved to 92.2 from 92 in December. Spanish labor cost data for the fourth quarter is also due at the 4 am ET. At 5 am ET, Italian trade data for January is expected. The statistical office Istat said last month that Italy's trade with rest of the world resulted in a surplus of EUR 1.4 billion in December compared to a deficit of EUR 3 billion in the same month of 2010. The economy slipped in to recession in the fourth quarter with the gross domestic product contracting 0.7 percent quarter-on-quarter during the period after 0.2 percent decline in the third quarter. At 6 am ET, the Eurostat is slated to publish foreign trade figures for the month of January. Economists forecast the trade surplus to fall to EUR 1 billion from EUR 9.7 billion in December. Eurozone's merchandise trade surplus posted a surprise increase in December, despite stringent austerity measures weakening demand within the region. The economy suffered a 0.3 percent contraction in the fourth quarter, which was the first since 2009. Current account data from Italy is also due at 6 am ET. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: Swiss National Bank Rate Decision Due The interest rate decision from the Swiss National Bank is the major event that is set to dominate the scene on Thursday. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs is set to publish Swiss quarterly economic forecasts. In the previous forecast, it said the gross domestic product will grow 0.5 percent in 2012. At 3.00 am ET, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association is scheduled to issue new car registrations for February. In January, European car registrations declined 7.1 percent. Czech producer prices and retail sales are due at 4.00 am ET. Producer price inflation is seen slowing to 3.9 percent in February from 4.1 percent in January. Retail sales are forecast to rise 0.7 percent in January after climbing 1.6 percent in December. At 4.30 am ET, the Swiss National Bank is expected to maintain its three-month Libor rate close to zero. At the prior meeting in December, the SNB retained its key rate and left the minimum exchange rate of CHF 1.20 per euro. The European Central Bank is slated to publish monthly bulletin at 5.00 am ET. The French government targets to raise a maximum of EUR 8.5 billion from the auction of medium term treasury notes. The results of issue are due at 5.50 am ET. Also, OATi index-linked treasury note auction is due. Eurostat is scheduled to issue employment data for the fourth quarter at 6.00 am ET. In the third quarter, Eurozone employment fell 0.1 percent sequentially. Labor cost figures are also due in the meantime. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: Eurozone Industrial Output, U.K. Jobless Data Due Industrial production and inflation from Eurozone and labor market statistics from the U.K. are the major reports due on Wednesday. Statistics Finland is set to publish inflation data for February at 3.00 am ET. Annual inflation rose to 3.2 percent in January from 2.9 percent in December. Sweden's AMV jobless data is due at 5.00 am ET. The jobless rate is forecast to remain stable at 4.8 percent in February. Half an hour later, the Office for National Statistics is slated to release U.K. claimant count and jobless figures. The claimant count is seen unchanged at 5 percent in February. During three months to January, the jobless rate is seen at 8.4 percent. At 6.00 am ET, Eurostat is scheduled to issue final consumer price figures and industrial production data. Eurozone industrial production is forecast to rise 0.5 percent month-on-month in January, following a 1.2 percent drop in December. February's inflation is seen at 2.7 percent, unchanged from the flash estimate, but up from 2.6 percent in January. Italy plans to raise up to EUR 5 billion from the sale of a new three-year BTP bond maturing in March 2015. Also, it targets to receive a maximum of EUR 1 billion from BTP bonds maturing on September 2019. The results are due at 6.10 am ET. At 9.00 am ET, Norway's central bank is set to announce its interest rate decision. The rate is expected to remain unchanged at 1.75 percent. In the meantime, Poland's money supply data is due. M3 money supply is seen rising 0.6 percent month-on-month in February after falling 0.8 percent in January. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: Eurogroup To Give Final Nod For Greek Bailout Eurozone finance ministers will meet today to discuss giving final approval for Greece's second bailout. At 3.00 am ET, the Federal Statistical Office is scheduled to issue German wholesale prices for February. Economists forecast wholesale price inflation to slow to 2.6 percent annually in February from 3 percent in January. At 4.00 am ET, Turkey's central bank is scheduled to publish current account data for January. The current account gap is forecast to narrow to $5.5 billion from $6.57 billion in December. In the meantime, Romania's inflation and trade figures. Annual inflation is seen easing to 2.4 percent in February from 2.7 percent in January. Italy's final GDP data from Istat is due at 5.00 am ET. According to preliminary estimate, the economy slipped into a recession in the fourth quarter. The gross domestic product declined by 0.7 percent sequentially, bigger than the 0.2 percent drop logged in the third quarter. The statistical office is expected to confirm the initial estimate. The German government aims to raise a maximum of EUR 4 billion from the issue of Bubills, with a maturity of 6 months. The results are due at 6.00 am ET. Eurogroup meeting is set to begin in Brussels at 1.00 am ET. At the prior meeting on Friday, Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker said Greece has implemented all measures in a satisfactory manner to receive a second bailout package. The Greek authorities managed to obtain the cooperation of the private sector in participating in the debt exchange offer. The International Monetary Fund is likely to approve its share of the bailout this week. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

Greece Announces Successful Completion Of Debt Swap Deal Greece successfully completed the debt swap agreement with 85.8 percent of its private bond holders voluntarily signing up to take part in the deal, clearing the way for the troubled euro member to secure international funds to avert a disorderly default. In a statement on Friday, the Finance Ministry said of the EUR 177 billion of bonds issued, which are governed by Greek law, the Republic has received tenders for exchange and consents for holders of approximately EUR 152 billion face amount of bonds. Holders of EUR 172 billion worth of bonds in total have consented to bond offer. The Ministry also said that EUR 20 billion or 69 percent of foreign-law bonds were also tendered. Greece has extended the tender on foreign-law bonds to March 23. The government has made it clear that it will not extend the invitation period for its bonds governed by Greek law. Though the participation rate exceeded the 75 percent threshold set by the government to get in with the deal and receive the EUR 130 billion worth bailout money from the international creditors, the level was below the 90 percent, needed to avoid triggering the "collective action clauses" or CACs. The CACs will force reluctant bondholders to join in and the government said the participation rate will rise to 95.7 percent after activating the CACs. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, or ISDA said today that a question relating to a "potential credit event" with respect to the Greece has been submitted to, and subsequently accepted for consideration by the EMEA Determinations Committee. The ISDA EMEA Determinations committee will meet today at 1 pm GMT to assess if a "credit event" has occurred, which would trigger a payout on credit default swaps. ISDA has said earlier this month that Greece's debt swap deal so far does not constitute a "credit event" or default. The successful completion of the debt swap deal was the pre-condition set by the European Union and the International Monetary fund for handing over the bailout approved last month. The money is vital for Greece to avoid a default on its debt on March 20, when it has to repay EUR 14.5 billion. Under the debt swap deal, private holders will take a 53.5 percent nominal loss on their total EUR 206 billion Greek debt by exchanging their existing bonds with new ones, having longer maturities and lower face value. The euro member aims to reduce its total indebtedness to 120.5 percent of GDP by 2020 from the current level of 160 percent. The Institute of International Finance, or IIF, welcomed the results of the swap offer. IIF negotiated the deal with the Greek government on behalf of the private creditors. Greece will continue implementing the measures needed to achieve the fiscal adjustments and structural reforms to which it has committed and that will return Greece to a path of sustainable growth, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: ECB, BoE Likely To Hold Key Rates Outcome of the monetary policy meetings of the Bank of England and the European Central Bank are the major events that are set to dominate the scene on Thursday. At 2.30 am ET, the Bank of France is scheduled to issue business confidence survey results. The business sentiment index is forecast to remain unchanged at 96 in February. Thereafter, French trade data is due from customs office at 2.45 am ET. The trade deficit is seen widening to EUR 5.15 billion in January from EUR 5 billion in December. The Czech Statistical Office is slated to release unemployment and external trade figures at 3.00 am ET. The jobless rate is forecast to remain stable at 9.1 percent in February. At the same time, the trade surplus is expected to rise to CZK 22 billion in January from CZK 10.5 billion in December. In the meantime, Turkey's industrial output figures are due. On a yearly basis, industrial output is forecast to rise 3.5 percent in January, after increasing 3.7 percent in December. At 3.15 am ET, the Federal Statistical Office is set to publish Swiss consumer prices for February. Consumer prices are forecast to fall 1 percent year-on-year after declining 0.8 percent in January. Dutch consumer prices are due at 3.30 am ET. Annual inflation is seen easing to 2.4 percent in February from 2.5 percent in January. The Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology is set to issue German industrial production for January. Economists forecast output to grow 1.1 percent month-on-month in January after falling 2.9 percent in December. Bank of England policymakers are set to maintain GBP 325 billion asset purchase programme intact today after lifting it by GBP 50 billion in February. The bank is also expected to retain its record low 0.5 percent interest rate. The European Central Bank is set to announce its decision at 7.45 am ET. Economists widely expect policymakers to maintain the rate at 1.00 percent. ECB President Mario Draghi is set to hold a the regular post-decision press conference at 8.30 am ET. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

Japan Forex Reserves Decline In February Japanese foreign exchange reserves declined in February after hitting a record-high in January, data from the Finance Ministry revealed Wednesday. Japan's official reserve assets fell to $1.303 trillion at the end of February from a record high of $1.307 trillion in January. The Ministry has said that it did not conduct market intervention between November 29 and February 27 after spending JPY 9.09 trillion between October 28 and November 28. At the end of February, the country's foreign currency reserves stood at $1.22 trillion. The International Monetary Fund reserve position was at $16.8 billion, while Spacial Drawing Rights amounted to $20 billion. Gold reserves rose to $43.54 billion at the end of the month from $42.9 billion at the end of January. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

RBA Keeps Cash Rate Unchanged At 4.25% The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday decided to keep its benchmark cash rate unchanged at 4.25 percent for a second consecutive time, as economic growth is expected to be close to trend and inflation close to target. The decision was in line with economists' expectations. In a statement today, RBA Governor Glenn Stevens said the Board judged that the current setting of monetary policy was appropriate for the moment. "Should demand conditions weaken materially, the inflation outlook would provide scope for easier monetary policy," he said. Most information on the Australian economy continues to suggest growth close to trend overall, with differences between sectors and considerable structural change, the policymaker noted. Stevens said interest rates for borrowers have generally risen slightly since the Board's previous meeting, but remain close to their medium-term average. Despite a fall in the terms of trade, the exchange rate has risen over recent months, the policymaker noted. He said that consumer price inflation has declined as expected and will fall further over the next quarter or two. Over the coming one to two years, and abstracting from the effects of the carbon price, the bank expects inflation to be in the 2-3 percent range. Regarding economic developments in Europe, Stevens said the acute financial pressures on banks in Europe have been alleviated considerably by the actions of policymakers, though there is more to do to put European banks and sovereigns onto a sound footing for the longer term and Europe will remain a potential source of shocks for some time yet. RBA said growth in China, Australia's major trading partner, has moderated as was intended. However, most indicators remained quite robust overall. Earlier last month, the central bank trimmed the economy's growth forecast to 3.5 percent for the year ending June 2012 from the previous forecast of 4 percent. Downgrading the outlook, the RBA said it reflects the weaker outlook for global economic growth, with the uncertainty about the European situation expected to weigh on household and business spending decisions. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is slated to publish the preliminary gross domestic product figures for the December quarter on Wednesday. The economy is forecast to expand 0.7 percent quarter-on-quarter, slower than the 1 percent growth in the preceding three-month period. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: Eurozone Retail Sales Data Due Retail sales and results of the Purchasing Managers' survey from Eurozone are due on Monday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 3.00 am ET, Turkey's consumer and producer prices are due. Annual inflation is forecast to slow to 10.48 percent in February from 10.61 percent in January. At 3.15 am ET, the Federal Statistical Office is set to publish Swiss retail sales figures for January. Sales were up 0.6 percent year-on-year in December. Markit Economics is slated to release Italy's services PMI at 3.45 am ET. Thereafter, final French and German PMI figures are due at 3.50 and 3.55 am ET. At 4.00 am ET, Eurozone final PMI data is due. The composite PMI is expected to match the flash reading of 49.7 in February. Italy's statistical office Istat is scheduled to issue producer price data at 4.00 am ET. Economists forecast producer price inflation to ease to 3.4 percent in January from 4 percent in December. Half an hour later, Eurozone sentix investor confidence is due. The index is seen improving to -5 in March from -11.1 a month ago. In the meantime, U.K.'s services PMI is due. The services PMI is expected to dip to 54.9 in February from 56 in January. Eurostat is scheduled to issue January retail sales data at 5.00 am ET. Eurozone retail sales are forecast to drop 0.1 percent month-on-month after easing 0.3 percent in December. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

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Eurozone Leaders To Decide On Firewall By End-March: Van Rompuy Eurozone leaders will likely decide on the adequacy of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) by the end of March, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said Thursday. Following the fist session of the European Council, he said "Eurozone leaders will reassess the adequacy of the overall ceiling of the EFSF/ ESM firewall by the end of the month." They have also agreed to accelerate the payments of the pending capital for the ESM, he added. EU heads of state or government on Thursday re-elected Van Rompuy as President of the European Council for a second term of two and a half years. His term will run till November 30, 2014 from June 1, 2012. He was also designated as president of the Euro Summit for the same term of office. Van Rompuy lauded the decisive legislative actions taken by Greek authorities over the past ten days. "Eurozone leaders support the efforts undertaken by Greece to strengthen the country's institutional capacity," he said. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: Eurozone Flash Inflation, Unemployment Data Due Flash inflation, unemployment and results of the Purchasing Managers' survey from Eurozone are due on Thursday, headlining a hectic day for the European economic news. At 1.30 am ET, the French statistical office Insee is scheduled to issue ILO jobless rate for the fourth quarter. The jobless rate is forecast to rise to 9.6 percent from 9.3 percent in the prior quarter. Swiss GDP figures are due from the Federal Statistical Office at 1.45 am ET. Economists expect the economy to shrink 0.1 percent sequentially in the fourth quarter. At 2.00 am ET, Ireland's manufacturing PMI for February is due. Hungary's Central Statistical Office is slated to release producer price data at 3.00 am ET. Producer price annual inflation is seen rising to 8.2 percent in January from 7.5 percent in December. In the meantime, manufacturing PMI figures from Poland, Turkey and Norway are due. At 3.45 am ET, Markit Economics is set to publish Italy's manufacturing PMI. The index is forecast to rise to 47.1 in February from 46.8 a month ago. Final French and German manufacturing PMI figures are due at 3.50 and 3.55 am ET, respectively. The Eurozone manufacturing PMI, due at 4.00 am ET, is expected to match the flash estimate of 49 in February. Half an hour later, U.K. Markit/CIPS manufacturing PMI is due. The index is seen easing to 52 from 52.1 in January. In the meantime, auction results from Spain and France are due. The Spanish government plans to obtain funds in the range of EUR 3.5 billion and EUR 4.5 billion. The treasury will issue bonds maturing in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The French debt management agency AFT aims to raise a maximum EUR 8 billion from the issue of long-term bonds. Eurostat is set to release Eurozone flash inflation and unemployment data at 5.00 am ET. Inflation is seen at 2.6 percent in February, the same rate as in January. The jobless rate is forecast to remain unchanged at 10.4 percent in January. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

Japan Housing Starts Decline Again Japan's housing starts decreased for the fifth consecutive month in January, but at a slower-than-expected pace, data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism showed Wednesday. Housing starts fell 1.1 percent year-on-year in January. However, the rate of decline was weaker than the 3.3 percent drop expected by economists and 7.3 percent fall recorded in December. The seasonally adjusted annualized housing starts totaled 822,000 in January compared to 783,000 a month ago. Economists expected an increase to 808,000. Construction orders received by 50 big constructors in Japan surged 24.6 percent from last year after slowing to a growth rate of 1.5 percent in December. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

Japan Retail Sales Rise Unexpectedly On Vehicle Demand Retail sales in Japan increased unexpectedly in January due to a surge in motor vehicle sales, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed Tuesday. Sales rose 1.9 percent year-on-year in January, against economists' expectations for a 0.1 percent decline. This was the second consecutive increase after a 2.5 percent rise in December. Sales of motor vehicles climbed 24.3 percent from January last year. This followed a 14.9 percent increase in December. Clothing sales increased 1.4 percent annually, while sales of food articles rose 0.6 percent. Meanwhile, sales of machinery and equipment, general merchandise as well as fuel declined during the month. Large retail store sales were down by an annual 1 percent. This was, however, better than the forecast for a fall of 1.1 percent after an upwardly revised 0.3 percent decline in December. The data also showed that wholesale sales were down 3.6 percent on year and commercial sales lost an annual 2.1 percent. Following the upbeat retail sales data, yen advanced against other major currencies in early Asian deals today. Earlier this month, the central bank increased the size of its asset purchase by JPY 10 trillion to JPY 30 trillion, after the economy contracted more than expected by 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: Eurozone M3 Data Due Producer prices from France and private sector credit from Eurozone are the major statistical reports due at the start of the week, headlining a light day for the European economic news. The meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors held over the week end in Mexico demanded Europe to strengthen its bailout fund before leading economies provide extra support to raise the resources of the International Monetary Fund. At 2.45 am ET, the French statistical office Insee is scheduled to issue producer price figures for January. Annually, producer prices are forecast to rise 4.1 percent after increasing 4.7 percent in December. The European Central Bank is scheduled to issue euro area M3 money supply for January at 4.00 am ET. Annual growth in M3 is forecast to rise to 1.8 percent from 1.6 percent in December. In the meantime, Italy's business confidence is due. Business sentiment is forecast to fall to 92 in February from 92.1 a month ago. Germany's Bubill auction is due at 5.00 am ET. The government target to raise EUR 3 billion from the issue of securities maturing on February 2013. In the meantime, Italy aims to raise a maximum of EUR 8.75 billion from 6-month treasury bill auction and EUR 3.5 billion from flexible T-bills. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: German, U.K. GDP Data Due Revised quarterly national accounts data from Germany and the U.K. are expected to dominate the economics scene on Friday. Elsewhere, Italy is set to enter the debt market today with a bond auction. At 2.00 am ET, the Federal Statistical Office is scheduled to release German final GDP figures for the fourth quarter. The prior estimate showed a 0.2 percent quarterly contraction in the fourth quarter GDP. French consumer confidence survey results are due at 2.45 am ET. The consumer sentiment is seen rising to 82 in February from 81 a month ago. The Czech statistical office is set to publish consumer and business confidence survey data at 3.00 am ET. In the meantime, Spain's producer prices and Hungary's retail sales are due. Spain's producer price inflation is seen at 4.3 percent in January, down from 5.2 percent in December. At 4.00 am ET, Italy's retail sales for December are due. On a monthly basis, sales are forecast to drop 0.5 percent month-on-month after falling 0.3 percent in November. Half an hour later, second estimates of U.K. GDP is due from the Office for National Statistics. According to the previous estimate, the economy contracted 0.2 percent sequentially in the fourth quarter. Italy is slated to raise a maximum of EUR 3 billion from the auction of Zero Coupon Bonds maturing on January 2014. The government also plans to issue inflation indexed bonds, with a maximum target of EUR 1.5 billion. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

China Manufacturing Sector Contracts For Fourth Month China's factory activity shrank for a fourth consecutive month in February, as weak domestic demand as well as external weakness added downside risks to growth, a survey by Markit Economics revealed Wednesday. The rate of contraction in the manufacturing activity, however, eased with the HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index rising to a four-month high of 49.7 in February from 48.8 in January. Nevertheless, with the reading being below 50, the sector is experiencing contraction. The manufacturing output index was also at a four-month high of 50.1, bouncing back from 47.6 in January. While output remained broadly unchanged, new orders continued to contract. New export orders shrank in February following an improvement in the previous month. Growth remains on track of slowdown, despite the marginal improvement in the headline flash PMI led by quickened production after the Chinese New Year, HSBC chief economist Hongbin Qu said. "With a meaningful rebound of domestic demand not in sight, external weakness is starting to bite, adding more downside risks to growth," the economist said, adding the People's Bank of China after delivering this year's first RRR cut, should step up policy easing as inflation pressures continue to ease. Input prices remained unchanged during the month, while output prices continued to fall, albeit at a moderate pace, according to the survey. Last week, the People's Bank of China decided to cut the banks' reserve requirement rate by 50 basis points for the second time in three months to boost lending amid sluggish economic growth. The new CRR at 20.5 percent for large commercial banks will be effective from February 24. The Chinese economy expanded 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, the slowest pace in more than two years, as a result of sluggish external demand and Beijing's past policy tightening to contain inflation and property prices. Despite the slowdown in growth, the central bank refrained from an interest rate reduction. According to the latest official data, inflation accelerated for the first time in six months in January, triggered by higher spending during the Lunar new years holidays. Inflation rose to a three-month high of 4.5 percent year-on-year in January from the 4.1 percent in the previous month. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

European Economics Preview: U.K. Public Sector Finance Data Due Public sector finance from the U.K. is the major statistical report due on Tuesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. Elsewhere, Spain is set to raise a maximum EUR 4 billion from the issue of short-term debt. Earlier in the day, Eurozone finance ministers reached an agreement over a second bailout worth EUR 130 billion for Greece. At 2.00 am ET, the Federal Customs Administration is slated to release Swiss external trade data. The trade surplus is forecast to rise to CHF 2.5 billion in January from CHF 2.01 billion in December. In the meantime, Statistics Finland is scheduled to issue labor force survey results for January. Swiss M3 money supply for January is due from the Swiss National Bank at 3.00 am ET. M3 money supply growth accelerated to 7.7 percent in December from 7.3 percent in November. In the meantime, Hungary's gross wages for December are due. Economists forecast gross wages to rise 6.2 percent annually compared to November's 6 percent growth. At 4.30 am ET, the Office for National Statistics is set to issue public sector borrowing figures. U.K. public sector net borrowing, excluding interventions, are seen at -GBP 6.3 billion in January compared to GBP 13.7 billion in December. Elsewhere, Spain is set to enter the debt market. The government aims to get EUR 1.5 billion from 3-month treasury bills and EUR 2.5 billion from 6-month treasury bills. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com

Research: limited Downside for Usd/cad Quotes from RBC Capital Markets: -RBC's forecast is for USD/CAD to linger below parity to mid-year, with a trough of 0.98 in Q1. -However, short of another distinct and material improvement in market risk sentiment, there are limits to the downside for USD/CAD. -Specifically, key commodity prices that are relevant to Canada and CAD highlight that the domestic terms of trade are only marginally improving. More FOREX-news on pages InstaForex.Com