OctaFX.Com - Financial News and Analysis

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

Stocks hit 8-month high, dollar bounces back

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - World stocks touched an eight-month high on Tuesday, while the dollar rebounded from the previous day's losses a day after the Federal Reserve signaled it would continue its loose monetary policy.

 

The U.S. dollar strengthened against the euro and the yen after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's dovish comments sent it tumbling in the previous session.

U.S. stocks were little changed after a more than 1 percent rally lifted the S&P 500 to a four-year high on Monday.

 

"Bernanke yesterday talked about the need for aggressive monetary policy and the dollar took a pretty good whack, so it's probably clawing some of that back," said Art Hogan, managing director of Lazard Capital Markets in New York.

Bernanke said Monday accommodative monetary policy would stay in place to support demand and, over time, drive down long-term unemployment. He stopped short of signaling the start of a new round of asset purchases by the Fed.

The S&P 500 is on track to close its best quarter since 2009 and its fourth straight month of gains. MSCI's main global stock index (.MIWD00000PUS) was up 0.2 percent after hitting its highest level since August 1.

"Last week markets tried to price in a global economic slowdown but we're now seeing a slowdown, but not one that is unexpected," Hogan said. "We still believe there's a soft landing in China, Europe has stabilized and the U.S. continues to chug along at a sustainable rate."

In morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average (DJI:^DJI - News) dipped 4.80 points, or 0.04 percent, to 13,236.83. The S&P 500 Index (.INX) shed 0.14 point, or 0.01 percent, to 1,416.37. The Nasdaq Composite (NAS:^COMP) gained 4.30 points, or 0.14 percent, to 3,126.87.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 (FSI:^E3X) fell 0.5 percent, while U.S. dollar-denominated Nikkei futures jumped 1.2 percent.

A private sector report showed U.S. consumer confidence dipped in March but was nearly in line with forecasts, while inflation expectations rose to the highest in 10 months.

U.S. Treasuries prices added slight gains after the data, with the 10-year yield again below its 200-day average and at its lowest in two weeks.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was up 13/32, with the yield at 2.2068 percent.

Lower yields contributed to record-setting dollar amounts of U.S. corporate note and bond sales this quarter.

With four days left, data from Thomson Reuters unit IFR show $274.5 billion were priced in investment grade deals, eclipsing the previous record for a first quarter of $272.3 billion in 2007 -before the credit crisis.

This is the best quarter ever for high yield deals. At $88 billion, the amount beats the previous record of $85.3 billion set in the last quarter of 2010.

 

Mar 27, 2012 15:36

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

 

OctaFX is proud to offer top-notch service level to its customers. Please stay tuned for the news and updates from OctaFX!

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

Dollar gains, snapping two day drop versus euro

 

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar gained against the euro on Tuesday, snapping two straight sessions of losses as data tempered concerns of more stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

 

The greenback's rally came a day after comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke raised expectations that the Fed could yet embark on a third round of quantitative easing.

 

On Monday, Bernanke said "further significant improvements in the unemployment rate will likely require a more rapid expansion of production and demand from consumers and businesses, a process that can be supported by continued accommodative policies." He made those comments to the National Association for Business Economics.

 

Until markets have more clarity on the Fed's plans, though, trading could stay constrained, analysts said.

 

"From our perspective, people are misinterpreting the Bernanke speech," said Mark McCormick, a G10 currency strategist with Brown Brothers Harriman in New York.

"I think people have taken it as sign of quantitative easing coming down the line, but I think that exaggerates the key takeaway," he added, with Bernanke not necessarily signaling more QE.

 

The euro slid 0.2 percent to $1.3334 in New York on Tuesday.

 

A U.S. report showed home prices were unchanged in January from December, the first time since July the seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city index has not declined and a sign that the battered housing market is slowly stabilizing.

A report from industry group The Conference Board showed the index of consumer attitudes eased to 70.2 from an upwardly revised 71.6 the month before, roughly in line with economists' expectations for 70.3.

 

The details of the report were mixed as consumer expectations fell, but their assessment of their current situation rose to the highest level since September 2008.

"The economy is doing a lot better than many people thought, and the market is going to run with that, but the Fed will not stand around while U.S. yields back up significantly," said Neil Mellor, currency strategist at Bank of New York Mellon in London.

 

"There will be a cat-and-mouse game between the market and Bernanke. I think the dollar will be in a range for some time."

 

The euro zone's sovereign debt crisis could still weigh on the single currency, as well.

While Germany signaled for the first time on Monday its willingness to increase the resources available for tackling the euro-zone debt crisis, several key events remain this week.

 

Those include a meeting of euro-zone finance ministers in Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday and Spain's budget presentation on Friday.

 

The meeting of finance ministers "could result in some near- term volatility," said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst with Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington, D.C. "It's hard to push the euro up further from these levels without some catalyst."

 

YEN STEADIES AFTER DROP

 

Traders and analysts said moves in U.S. Treasuries would be key for the dollar. If demand for Treasuries gained steam and bond yields fell in the wake of Bernanke's comments, the dollar could face more pressure.

The greenback was up 0.4 percent against the yen at 83.15 yen, though below a recent 11-month high. Against Japan's yen, the single currency rose 0.2 percent to 110.86 yen.

 

The Japanese currency was seen as vulnerable to more selling, and has been under heavy pressure since Japan announced monetary easing measures last month.

With the fiscal year ending on March 31, which is Saturday, expected repatriation flows have done little to support the yen so far, said Joe Manimbo, a market analyst with Western Union Business Solutions in Washington, D.C.

"That suggests next week the yen could come under pressure, since it didn't benefit from expected month- and year-end flows," he added.

 

Mar 27, 2012 17:22

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

 

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

Gold slips 1 percent as dollar strengthens

 

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices slid more than 1 percent on Thursday as a break higher in the dollar and a drop in oil prices pushed gold through key support near the $1,655 an ounce level, prompting further liquidation.

 

Spot gold was down 0.6 percent at $1,652.84 an ounce at 1508 GMT, off a low as $1,647.29 an ounce. The metal is on track for a third session of losses after a rally early in the week, sparked by Federal Reserve hints that accommodative monetary policy is set to persist, petered out.

 

"We have a forecast for an average price for the year of $1,450, so we are not surprised that gold prices are struggling to go higher," Nic Brown, head of commodity research at Natixis, said. "We think as time goes on the likelihood is that prices will probably soften further."

 

Gains in the dollar exerted strong pressure on gold. The euro fell against the U.S. unit as concerns about contagion from the euro zone debt crisis resurfaced ahead of Spain's budget on Friday. A stronger dollar tends to weigh on gold, which is priced in the U.S. currency. (FRX/)

 

Oil prices fell nearly $2 a barrel, European shares slipped and safe-haven German bunds inched higher, suggesting little appetite for assets seen as higher risk. A broadly successful sale of Italian bonds did little to soothe worries over the euro zone crisis.(GVD/EUR)

 

Gold is likely to need significant fresh support from a move in the wider financial markets, as well as a drop in the dollar, to push it to fresh highs, analysts said.

"We have suspected that it would take much more than a pure dollar correction for sustained gains to $1,700 and beyond, especially now that bullion is strongly correlated to the broader equity market, and risk sentiment in general," VTB Capital said in a note.

 

"It comes as little surprise, with the VIX volatility index - the global risk gauge - rallying to 2.5-week highs, that gold followed other precious metals with the broader market back in risk averse mode."

SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT

Physical demand for gold among key Asian buyers was mixed.

"In the near-term there is substantial support still coming out of China. Until Chinese investors have a solid alternative to precious metal, it's likely that demand coming out of China will remain very strong," said Natixis' Brown.

But gold demand from India, the world's biggest buyer of the yellow metal, remains muted as jewelers' protests entered their thirteenth day, dealers said.

"If you see a significant decline in Indian demand for gold, that is a major negative for the gold market," Brown said.

 

U.S. gold futures for June delivery were down $5.30 an ounce at $1,655.20.

Swiss bank UBS cut its 2012 gold price forecast to $1,680 an ounce from $2,050 previously, which it said partly reflects the metal's performance in the first quarter.

"The view that the U.S. economic recovery is looking more sustainable is becoming increasingly accepted," it said. "As acute macro stresses abate, investors are looking at other asset classes and to the growth story once again. Gold is moving off the

centre-stage position it occupied for most of last year."

 

Nonetheless, the threat of a fresh downturn in the U.S. economy and of further credit stress, as well as ongoing official sector buying, higher oil prices and the low interest rate environment, will still underpin gold, it added.

Silver was down 0.7 percent at $31.78 an ounce. The gold/silver ratio, or the number of silver ounces needed to buy an ounce of gold, rose back towards 52, near a two-month high.

 

Spot platinum was down 0.3 percent at $1,625.70 an ounce, while palladium was down 0.1 percent at $641.97.

 

Mar 29, 2012 15:17

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

 

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

 

Euro drops, yen rises; Spanish budget ahead

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The euro slid against the dollar and the yen on Thursday as investors dumped the single currency, nervous about Spain's budget presentation at the end of the week and ongoing concerns about the euro-zone sovereign debt crisis.

 

The single currency has declined steadily in recent sessions after touching a near four-week high earlier this week on comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who indicated supportive monetary policy will remain in place.

But with several key risk events for the euro zone in the next few days, investors are squaring positions, said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo Bank in New York.

 

"We've had a few good days for the euro," he said.

With a broader bias to sell euros still pervading the market, investors are now booking profits on some of those advances, he added.

The euro fell 0.3 percent to $1.3273 and touched its lowest since in three sessions in earlier trade.

Events in the next few days include Spain's budget presentation, which will show how far the government will tighten its belt, and a meeting of euro-zone finance ministers, where policymakers are expected to increase the combined lending ceiling of their two bailout funds.

 

Spain's budget "is a very dicey game," said Karl Schamotta, senior markets strategist with Western Union Business Solutions in Calgary.

An austere document could spur relief in bond markets.

"However, the reality is that that will slow growth and cause problems for them down the road," he said. "If the budget is on the softer side, we could see bond markets capitulating and participants concerned that we are not seeing enough resolve."

For trading, that means volatility ahead, Schamotta said.

Italian and Spanish bond yields were already rising on Thursday despite a broadly successful sale of Italian bonds, as investors switched into low-risk German debt.

Focus on the euro-zone bailout fund's size increased after European Central Bank governing council member Jens Weidmann, who is also the Bundesbank chief, warned that raising the firewall around stricken euro-zone members would only buy time.

Traders said automatic, stop-loss sell orders were triggered on the euro's break below $1.33 after the European Commission's economic sentiment index dipped by 0.1 percent, with sentiment in industry becoming markedly worse.

Analysts said the euro was unlikely to break out of its recent range of roughly $1.30 to $1.35.

YEN RISES BROADLY

The euro fell 0.9 percent on the day to 109.27 yen. The Japanese currency gained broadly on demand linked to the end of Japan's financial year and as European and U.S. equity markets followed Asian bourses into negative territory.

Wednesday was the last day for spot trading in Japan's business year that will end on March 31. But real-money flows from Tokyo kept major currencies under pressure against the yen, with exporters selling the dollar in large amounts, market players said.

The dollar fell 0.66 percent to 82.30 yen and touched a near three-week low, triggering reported stop-loss orders on the break of 82.35/40. But many strategists said the dollar should reassert itself against the yen as long as upcoming U.S. data does not support a recent rise in concerns about growth.

"There's definitely a lot of month-end and quarter-end rebalancing, but the bigger story we are seeing is some bond buying and equity selling in the last 24 hours," said Geoff Kendrick, currency strategist at Nomura.

The growth-linked Australian dollar fell 0.5 percent to USD$1.0339, hurt by concerns about slower growth in China.

 

Mar 29, 2012 16:10

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

Euro slides versus dollar, yen on European manufacturing

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The euro slid against the dollar and yen on Monday as weak European manufacturing data prompted investors to compare the outlook for the euro zone with the improving economy.

 

The euro remained vulnerable to renewed bouts of selling after the regional manufacturing survey, analysts said, as investors took a cautious view of prospects for the global economy even after strong Chinese factory data.

A report on business activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector came in above the consensus forecast further contrasting the U.S. against the euro zone.

"PMIs out of Europe are another reminder of the extent economies have gone down," said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst with Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington, D.C. "Strong U.S. data this week is likely to see the dollar strengthen on rising yield appeal."

 

The euro fell 0.3 percent against the dollar to $1.3311, though still within a cent of the recent one-month high of $1.3385, according to Reuters data. Analysts said that peak will provide resistance after the euro has repeatedly failed to breach it.

Traders said negative sentiment towards euro zone assets arose on reports the Bundesbank would not accept the bonds of several countries, including Portugal, as collateral. Germany's central bank later denied the reports.

"There's an increasing risk of a more prolonged recession in Europe and economic fundamentals argue in favor of a further downward adjustment in the euro," said Lee Hardman, currency analyst at BTM-UFJ in London.

 

YEN GAINS

The low-yielding yen, which tends to fall when risk appetite increases, recouped earlier losses, with the dollar down 0.9 percent at 82.09 yen and the euro down 1.1 percent at 109.26 yen.

 

"It seems like investors remain cautious with service sector data from China still to come this week and nothing to indicate an imminent policy response from the Chinese to the slowdown in their economy," said Valentin Marinov, head of European G10 currency strategy at Citi in London.

"It's a week ahead of the long weekend with thin liquidity, making investors reluctant to express strong views and which limits the scope for meaningful returns ahead of Easter."

 

The Japanese currency was undermined by a weaker-than-expected reading of the Tankan survey of sentiment at big Japanese manufacturers, which put the spotlight on whether the Bank of Japan will ease monetary policy further as early as next week.

 

The Australian dollar was up around 0.8 percent for the day at $1.0416, though off a high of $1.0449 touched earlier in the global session.

The currency tends to benefit from any signs of improvement in the Chinese economy due to Australia's strong trade links with the country. But many analysts have recently expressed concerns it is overvalued.

"The Chinese recovery is modest ... We like to sell Aussie on any rally," said George Saravelos, G10 currency strategist at Deutsche Bank in London.

 

Apr 02, 2012 16:03

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

A look at the unemployment rates in the eurozone

A glance at the various rates of unemployment across the 17-nation eurozone

 

 

 

Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, estimates that unemployment across the 17-country eurozone rose to 10.8 percent in February, a new record since the euro launched in 1999.

Here's how the countries compare:

 

Spain 23.6 percent

 

Greece 21.0 percent+

 

Portugal 15.0 percent

 

Ireland 14.7 percent

 

Slovakia 14.0 percent

 

Estonia 11.7 percent+

 

France 10.0 percent

 

Cyprus 9.7 percent

 

Italy 9.3 percent

 

Slovenia 8.7 percent

 

Finland 7.4 percent

 

Belgium 7.2 percent

 

Malta 6.8 percent

 

Germany 5.7 percent

 

Luxembourg 5.2 percent

 

Netherlands 4.9 percent

 

Austria 4.2 percent

 

Apr 02, 2012 16:40

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

OctaFX is proud to offer top-notch service level to its customers. Please stay tuned for the news and updates from OctaFX!

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - IMF chief against any breakup of Eurozone

IMF managing director does not want to see weaker European countries split from Eurozone

 

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The managing director of the International Monetary Fund says her global lending organization wants the Eurozone to stay together, not be broken up by the departure of some of its weaker nations.

 

Christine Lagarde told the annual meeting of The Associated Press that the IMF has no agenda "to breakup that zone."

There has been talk that Greece, one of the 17 nations that use the euro, might at some point leave. Lagarde was asked if such countries, even Spain and Italy, might be better off outside the zone.

"To your question, I think the answer is no," she said.

 

 

Apr 03, 2012 16:07

 

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com -Dollar dips versus euro ahead of Fed minutes, ECB

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar slipped against the euro ahead of the release of U.S. Federal Reserve meeting minutes on Tuesday, though investors were reluctant to make big bets a day ahead of the European Central Bank meeting.

 

At least for the next few hours, the market focus in pre-Easter trade remains the Fed's meeting minutes from March which may provide clues on U.S. policymakers' inclination to take further steps to ease policy, which would weigh on the dollar.

 

For now, the minutes are expected to suggest a standby approach, with the Fed likely to warn that premature tightening would be risky, while keeping an open-minded, but uncommitted view on further easing.

 

Fed officials on Monday signaled little appetite for further monetary steps to stimulate U.S. growth in an economy that is gradually strengthening. However, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that more stimulus would remain an option.

The ECB policy meeting is on Wednesday with analysts saying a hawkish message from the bank on the need to get back to concentrating on quelling inflation instead of helping Europe's economy and financial system out of crisis may give the euro a brief boost.

 

"We get a peek at the Fed minutes but (are) not expecting any surprises there," said John Doyle, currency strategist at Tempus Consulting in Washington. "After that we are holding for the Europeans."

 

The euro was last trading up 0.1 percent at $1.3337, with the session low at $1.3298 and the session peak at $1.3367.

 

Analysts said the gains in the shared currency came after investors failed to push the unit below $1.3300 and hold it there, forcing anyone betting against the euro

to step back in to buy to prevent further losses.

 

ON HOLD

 

To be sure, many investors are still looking to sell the euro as concerns grew about a fragile outlook for the euro zone and high debt levels in Spain. Italian and Spanish debt yields rose on Tuesday amid concerns about the euro zone's ability to keep budget deficits under control.

 

Spain's public debt ratio is expected to hit 79.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2012, a document detailing the country's 2012 budget showed on Tuesday.

Since the euro's mid- to late-March rally from $1.3000 to just below $1.34 fizzled out, the currency has stayed in a relatively tight $1.3250-$1.3400 range. Many analysts expect it to move lower if it breaks below that area.

 

The euro was last little changed against the Swiss franc at 1.2031 francs, but still near a two-month low as traders pushed the shared currency closer to the 1.20 franc floor set by the Swiss National Bank last year.

 

YEN SWINGS

 

Against the yen, the dollar was last up 0.1 percent at 82.18 yen, recovering from a drop to a low at 81.54 yen, its weakest since March 9.

Analysts said the broader trend for the yen to weaken remains intact following the Bank of Japan's unexpected easing of monetary policy in February. Speculation that the Fed could tighten its own policy faster than previously expected - and raise the return for holding dollars - have also weighed on the Japanese currency.

 

"People have been buying into the idea that the yen could weaken and perhaps we have seen the strongest period for the yen," said Dag Muller, technical analyst at SEB in Stockholm. "But in the near term, the yen could succumb to more of a correction from short-term exaggerated levels."

 

The Australian dollar was down 0.4 percent at US$1.0366, cutting earlier gains, after the Reserve Bank of Australia kept interest rates unchanged at 4.25 percent and suggested a bias toward easing.

 

Apr 03, 2012 16:19

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com -Dollar rises against euro ahead of Fed minutes

Dollar rises against euro as traders await Federal Reserve minutes of March meeting

 

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- The dollar is rising against the euro before the release of the Federal Reserve's minutes from its March meeting.Traders are waiting to see whether the Fed is optimistic about the economy.

 

The Fed said in a statement after the meeting that it expects the job market to improve. The statement boosted the dollar.

 

But last week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that the job market is still weak, pushing the dollar lower against the euro. Traders had interpreted the comments to mean that the Fed will keep short-term interest rates near zero. Lower interest rates tend to weigh on a currency by reducing the returns investors get from holding it.

 

Apr 03, 2012 16:43

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

 

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - The Basics Of Currency Trading

 

The investment markets can quickly take the money of investors who believe that trading is easy. Trading in any investment market is exceedingly difficult, but success first comes with education and practice. So, what is currency trading and is it right for you?

 

SEE: Top 7 Questions About Currency Trading Answered.

 

The currency market, or forex (FX), is the largest investment market in the world. Each day, it accounts for roughly $1.5 trillion of daily trading compared to only $25 billion of daily volume on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The market may be large, but until recently the volume came from professional traders, but as currency trading platforms have improved more retail traders have found forex to be suitable for their investment goals.

 

How Does It Work?

 

Currency trading is a 24-hour market that is only closed from Friday evening to Sunday evening, but the 24-hour trading sessions are misleading. There are three sessions that include the European, Asian and United States trading sessions. Although there is some overlap in the sessions, the main currencies in each market are traded mostly during those market hours. This means that certain currency pairs will have more volume during certain sessions. Traders who stay with pairs based on the dollar will find the most volume in the U.S. trading session.

 

Currency is traded in various sized lots. The micro lot is 1,000 units of a currency. If your account is funded in U.S. dollars, a micro lot represents $1,000 of your base currency, the dollar. A mini lot is 10,000 units of your base currency and a standard lot is 100,000 units.

 

Pairs and Pips

 

All currency trading is done in pairs. Unlike the stock market, where you can buy or sell a single stock, you have to buy one currency and sell another currency in the forex market. Next, nearly all currencies are priced out to the fourth decimal point. A pip or percentage in point, is the smallest increment of trade. One pip typically equals 1/100 of 1%.

 

Retail or beginning traders often trade currency in micro lots, because one pip in a micro lot represents only a 10 cents move in the price. This makes losses easier to manage if a trade doesn't produce the intended results. In a mini lot, one pip equals $1 and that same one pip in a standard lot equals $10. Some currencies move as much as 100 pips or more in a single trading session making the potential losses to the small investor much more manageable by trading in micro or mini lots.

 

Far Less Products

 

The majority of the volume in currency trading is confined to only 18 currency pairs compared to the thousands of stocks that are available in the global equity markets. Although there are other traded pairs outside of the 18, the eight currencies most often traded are the U.S. dollar (USD), Canadian dollar (CAD), euro (EUR), British pound (GBP), Swiss franc (CHF), New Zealand dollar (NZD), Australian dollar (AUD) and the Japanese yen (JPY). Although nobody would say that currency trading is easy, having far less trading options makes trade and portfolio management an easier task.

 

What Moves Currency?

 

An increasing amount of stock traders are taking interest in the currency markets because many of the forces that move the stock market also move the currency market. One of the largest is supply and demand. When the world needs more dollars, the value of the dollar increases and when there are too many circulating, the price drops.

 

Other factors like interest rates, new economic data from the largest countries and geopolitical tensions, are just a few of the events that may affect currency prices.

 

The Bottom Line

 

Much like anything in the investing market, learning about currency trading is easy but finding the winning trading strategies takes a lot of practice. Most forex brokers will allow you to open a free virtual account that allows you to trade with virtual money until you find strategies that work for you.

 

Apr 05, 2012 15:43

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - Dollar rises to 3-week high against euro

Dollar rises to 3-week high against euro on fears about Europe's debt crisis

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Growing fears about Europe's debt crisis pushed the dollar to a three-week high against the euro Thursday. The euro also fell against the Swiss franc, dropping below a ceiling set by the Swiss National Bank last year.

 

The yield on Spain's benchmark 10-year bond jumped to 5.74 percent Thursday, its highest point since November. A month ago, the rate was below 4.9 percent. Rising yields are a sign that investors are less confident in the country's finances.

 

The higher the yield on a country's bonds, the more expensive it becomes to borrow money. Greece, Portugal and Ireland needed a bailout after their borrowing rates rose above 7 percent.

 

Concerns about Spain's finances rose this week after weak demand at its bond auction Wednesday.

 

The euro fell to $1.3057 in afternoon trading Thursday from $1.3139 late Wednesday. The euro fell as low as $1.3034, its lowest point since March 15.

 

The Swiss franc briefly rose against the euro Thursday above the 1.20 level that the Swiss National Bank capped it at in September. The Swiss franc is considered a safe-haven currency and tends to rise when traders are worried about the global economy. Last year, the Swiss franc rose so much that the SNB said it would spend whatever it would take to stop the euro from falling below 1.20 francs. On Thursday, it fell to 1.1993 francs before quickly moved recovering.

 

The SNB wants to limit the franc's strength to protect Swiss companies. Last year, exporters were hurt as the value of the franc increased. A strong franc hurts exporters by making their goods more expensive for foreign buyers.

 

In other trading, the dollar rose to 0.9206 Swiss franc from 0.9161 Swiss franc. The British pound fell to $1.5820 from $1.5889.

 

The dollar fell to 82.35 Japanese yen from 82.58 yen and to 99.37 Canadian cents from 99.64 Canadian cents.

 

 

Apr 05, 2012 15:46

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com -Euro dips, bonds rise on euro zone worries

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) -

The euro hit a three-week low against the dollar and bonds edged higher on Thursday as Spain's debt burden fueled worries about further problems for euro zone economies and curtailed investors' appetite for riskier assets.

 

Global stocks dipped, while energy and gold prices climbed.

 

A poor Spanish bond auction on Wednesday added to worries that the impact of the European Central Bank's one trillion euro injection of cheap three-year funds into the banking system may be coming to an abrupt halt.

Spanish 10-year government bond yields rose as high as 5.86 percent on Thursday, dragging Italian rates in their wake as investors fled to the relative safety of German and U.S. debt.

 

The moves follow two days of losses in stocks and other markets following the release Tuesday of minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting, which suggested the Fed was less keen to launch further economic stimulus.

 

"The whole European situation seems to be reheating ... and there is more safe-haven type buying," said Sean Murphy, a Treasuries trader at Societe Generale in New York.

The worries added a safety bid for bonds, with the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note up 13/32, with the yield at 2.1752 percent.

 

Against the dollar, the euro was down 0.7 percent at$1.3052, having hit a three-week low of $1.3038. It also hit its lowest in four weeks against the yen at 106.86 yen before recovering slightly to trade at 107.23 yen, down 1 percent.

Spain's cost of borrowing on markets over 10 years jumped 30 basis points on Wednesday after borrowing costs rose at its bond auction. The yield premium over German benchmarks is now 411 basis points, its highest since late November before the ECB flooded the market with three-year funds.

STOCKS DIP, COMMODITIES GAIN

The MSCI world equity index (.MIWD00000PUS) was last down 0.2 percent, while U.S. stocks were also slightly lower.

 

Traders cautioned that some of the moves may be exaggerated by thin trading ahead of an extended Easter weekend, and while global stock markets lost more than 1 percent of their value on Wednesday, they remain up almost 10 percent this year.

The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI:^DJI - News) was down 45.75 points, or 0.35 percent, at 13,029.00. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (MXP:^GSPC - News) was down 3.54 points, or 0.25 percent, at 1,395.42. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NAS:^COMP) was up 6.84 points, or 0.22 percent, at 3,074.93.

For U.S. stocks, offsetting some concern about the euro zone was data showing the number of Americans lining up for new jobless benefits fell to the lowest in nearly four years last week.

Analysts said the claims data and a report on private-sector jobs earlier this week may bode well for the U.S. government's widely watched monthly employment report, which is due Friday.

 

The U.S. outlook was in sharp contrast with Europe where separate reports showed German industrial output fell more than expected in February and British factory output suffered its biggest monthly fall in almost a year

Spain's IBEX 35 index (MCE:^IBEX - News) touched a 7-month low as concerns mounted about Spain's ability to meet its budget targets, while Europe's FTSEurofirst 300 index (.FTEU3) ended up 0.1 percent.

Banking stocks, many of which have large exposure to the region's lower-rated sovereign debt, edged lower.

UniCredit (CRDI.MI) and Commerzbank (CBKG.DE), which both have exposure to euro zone peripheral debt, were also hard hit, down 3.1 percent and 1.9 percent respectively.

 

Bucking the softer global trend, non-banking financial sector firms led Chinese shares to their biggest single-day gain since early February, after Premier Wen Jiabao said the monopoly formed by the country's big banks needed to be broken to get money flowing to cash-starved companies.

 

GOLD, ENERGY CLIMB

 

Spot gold was up 0.6 percent at $1,628.34 an ounce. Weaker prices tempted some buyers but gains were capped by a stronger dollar and fading hopes of a fresh round of U.S. stimulus.

Market watchers said some hedge funds might have reduced gold holdings due to stronger U.S. economic data and easing of fears about European debt.

"A lot of the gold trade by hedge funds was specifically tied to a new round of Fed stimulus," said Jeffrey Sica, chief investment officer of SICA Wealth Management with more than $1 billion in assets.

In the other market, U.S. crude was up $1.62 at $103.09 per barrel, while Brent crude was up $1.13 at $123.47.

 

Apr 05, 2012 15:53

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com -Dollar drops as payrolls data keep Fed action alive

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar dropped broadly on Friday in thin holiday trade after disappointing U.S. jobs market data kept the prospect of more Federal Reserve monetary policy support alive.

 

The dollar fell against the euro for the first time in five days after data showed U.S. payrolls rose far less than expected in March.

 

The report offset sentiment earlier in the week that followed the release of Fed minutes from its last policy meeting that had market participants downplaying expectations of adding more monetary stimulus.

 

"Clearly a disappointing (payrolls) number. Across the board it's kind of an underwhelming number," said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.

 

The euro hit a high of $1.3112 after the report, rebounding from a three week low of $1.3033 reached n Thursday. It last traded at $1.3094, up 0.2 percent.

The dollar fell as low as 81.29 and last traded at 81.56, down 0.9 percent on the day, according to Reuters data.

 

"At the very least it will keep the door open to additional policy easing more so than before the number was released. In that respect it's definitely a negative for the dollar," Esiner said. "The extent of dollar losses is going to depend on how the market views this number, as an outlier or maybe evidence that the jobs growth is stalling."

 

Apr 06, 2012 06:33

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com -Japanese Yen Surges against U.S. Dollar Following Dismal Jobs Report

 

Over the past few weeks, concerns arose over a potentially disappointing March jobs report for the U.S. economy in light of warm weather and impending seasonal adjustments. Those concerns were vindicated on Friday, reigniting a plummet in yields supporting the U.S. Dollar.

 

European Session Summary

 

Data was sparse in the overnight alongside quiet trading conditions, as most major European equity markets were closed on Friday due to a religious holiday over the weekend. U.S. equity markets were closed as well for the holiday, but one of the most important releases for the U.S. economy was released regardless; and the nonfarm payrolls report for March sparked immense volatility.

 

The U.S. economy added 120K jobs in March, exactly half of the revised February figure at 240K. Similarly, the unemployment rate dropped to 8.2 percent from 8.2 percent in March. Many economists and policymakers have been discussing the potential claw back in this month’s jobs report considering that the winter months were unseasonably warm across much of the United States. Why does weather affect NFPs? Warmer conditions are conducive to work outside, in particular construction projects, and work in that sector has surged in recent months.

 

Where does this leave the U.S. economy? The Federal Reserve’s minutes from their March 13 policy meeting indicated that officials are leaning away from another round of easing due to the progress the U.S. economy has made. In the intermeeting period, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke noted that more stimulus could be warranted should the labor market continue to struggle. On the other hand, New York Fed President William Dudley has stated that a moderation in jobs growth is to be expected, given the favorable weather conditions the past few months.

 

Is there scope for more easing now? It depends. On one hand, officials are concerned with the lack of progress made by the labor market and are willing to extend efforts to foster growth. On the other, it’s clear that a pullback in jobs growth was anticipated, so it might mean that Fed officials hold their ground. With numerous policymakers due to speak next week, most notably Chairman Bernanke on two separate occasions, speculation on the third installment of quantitative easing will increase once again.

 

 

Overall, the Japanese Yen was the best performing major currency, gaining 0.99 percent against the U.S. Dollar. The Euro and the commodity currencies were hit the hardest by the jobs report, with the Canadian Dollar leading losses, depreciating by 0.28 percent. But for the Yen, however, all of the other majors were trading within 1/3 of a percent against the U.S. Dollar.

 

Apr 06, 2012 13:45

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - Dollar falls after US jobs report

Dollar falls against euro, pound, yen after US jobs report

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- The dollar fell against most major currencies in light trading Friday following a weak U.S. jobs report.

 

The Labor Department said the U.S. economy added 120,000 jobs in March, down from more than 200,000 in each of the previous three months. Economists expected 210,000 jobs to be added last month.

 

The unemployment rate fell to 8.2 percent, the lowest since January 2009, but that was mainly due to more people giving up on finding work.

 

The euro was trading at $1.3095 late Friday $1.3060 late Thursday.

 

Currency trading is light because many traders are off for Good Friday. The U.S. stock market is closed and U.S. government bond trading closed at noon Eastern.

 

In other trading, the British pound rose to $1.5885 from $1.5828. The dollar fell to 81.59 Japanese yen from 82.36 yen and to 0.9172 Swiss franc from 0.9201 Swiss franc.

 

The dollar rose to 99.71 Canadian cent from 99.38 Canadian cents.

 

 

Apr 06, 2012 16:46

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFx - EUR/USD Classical Technical Report 04.11

 

 

 

 

 

 

EUR/USD: The latest round of setbacks have stalled ahead of some key multi-week support by 1.3000 and from here, we still can not rule out risks for a shorter-term bounce back towards the 1.3200-1.3300 area, before considering bearish resumption. Ultimately, any rallies towards 1.3300 should be very well capped, while a break and close back under 1.3000, would accelerate declines.

 

Apr 11, 2012 06:12

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com -Dollar extends gains vs. yen, hits session high

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar extended gains against the yen on Wednesday, bouncing from a six-week low hit earlier in the global session.

The dollar hit a high of 81.09 yen and last traded at 81.06, up 0.5 percent on the day, according to Reuters data.

 

In the overnight session the dollar dropped to 80.57, its lowest since February 29.

 

Apr 11, 2012 06:29

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - Gold pauses after rally, focus on euro zone

 

 

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold steadied on Wednesday, after rising for four days straight, as the intensifying euro zone debt crisis threatened to undermine the euro and offset any potential safe-haven demand for the metal.

The euro rose on Wednesday but has come under pressure in the past week as the debt crisis has reignited. The focus is now on Spain, where the head of the central bank said on Tuesday commercial banks would need more capital if the economy continues to deteriorate.

 

Benchmark 10-year Spanish yields touched 6 percent for the first time since early December on Wednesday, having risen by more than two-thirds of a percentage point in the past week alone, while peripheral banking stocks have been pummeled.

Spot gold was last down 0.1 percent on the day at $1,659.00 an ounce by 1:25 p.m. EDT (1525 GMT), while U.S. June futures were down 0.1 percent at $1,659.90 an ounce.

 

Gold in euros was last down 0.5 percent at 1,261.72 euros an ounce, having touched two-week highs the previous day above 1,271.00 euros.

"The broader macro environment still remains positive. In the near term, the floor will be set by a combination of how strong investment demand is and how responsive the physical market is" Suki Cooper, an analyst at Barclays Capital, said.

Investment in gold has cooled somewhat. Speculators have cut their ownership of U.S. gold futures by more than a quarter since late February, although holdings of the metal in exchange-traded funds remain near record highs above 70 million ounces.

"Gold has found more support recently, but it doesn't have all of the catalysts in place to be driven substantially higher yet," Cooper said.

 

EURO TIES STRENGTHEN

 

The correlation between gold and the euro/dollar exchange rate strengthened on Wednesday to reach its most positive since early January, above 65 percent. That means the gold price is more likely to move in tandem with the single European currency than it was just six weeks ago.

 

"We think gold will be in a range of $1,600 to around $1,690 or $1,700, which is a fairly wide range. But I think it will be difficult for gold to break out of that range," Standard Bank analyst Walter de Wet said.

 

"What we are seeing is growing interest to buy in the physical market below $1,630. Should we drop below $1,600, the demand will be pretty strong," he said.

Metals consultancy GFMS, a unit of Thomson Reuters, said in its annual outlook for the gold market that a record high price above $2,000 an ounce next year could mark the peak of the precious metal's bull run of more than decade as monetary policy in major economies starts to tighten.

 

Gold prices for now are likely to drive above $2,000 as concerns over the euro zone debt crisis persist and the idea of more U.S. monetary easing gains support, GFMS Chairman Philip Klapwijk told Reuters.

In Europe, Italian one-year borrowing costs rose for the first time since November at a sale of short-dated paper on Wednesday, reflecting fresh doubts in the market about the more indebted euro zone nations and nerves ahead of a larger three-year sale on Thursday.

 

On the demand side, Hong Kong's gold exports to China rose 20 percent in February on the month as appetite for the precious metal remains strong in China, which is expected to overtake India as the world's top gold consumer this year.

Some suspected the number could include purchases from the public sector, as the market was largely quiet during a post-Lunar New Year holiday slump in February.

"On the public level, China's central bank will continue to accumulate gold, which is easier than liberalizing their capital account and currency," said Jeremy Friesen, a commodity strategist at Societe Generale, adding that building gold reserves would help China's push to turn the renminbi into a global currency.

Accommodative monetary policy will remain an incentive for private investors to buy into gold, he added.

 

Silver fell 0.3 percent to $31.69 an ounce, pushing the number of ounces of the metal needed to buy one ounce of gold up to 52.5 from 50 just one week ago, reflecting gold's relative outperformance.

 

Platinum and palladium eased, with platinum down 0.4 percent at $1,585.74 an ounce and palladium off 0.5 percent at $633.22 an ounce.

 

Data earlier in the day that showed car sales in China had cooled in March following sharp gains in February weighed on palladium.

 

Palladium is used mainly in catalytic converters in engines of vehicles powered by gasoline. China is now the world's largest car market and is chiefly gasoline-driven.

 

 

Apr 11, 2012 12:06

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - Euro Weakens as ECB Monthly Report Warns of Inflation Risk

 

 

 

The ECB’s monthly statement released today largely echoed ECB Chief Draghi’s remarks from April 4th. The central bank mentioned economic recovery but warned of inflation…

 

THE TAKEAWAY: ECB monthly report sends mixed messages -> Inflation risks seen, but central expects inflation to align itself to forecasts -> Euro drops ahead of release but stabilizes as markets digest

The moderate economic recovery seen recently is subject to downside risks as inflation threatens to devalue the Euro, the European Central Bank’s monthly report for April said today. The statements were in line with ECB chief Draghi’s policy speech earlier in the month.

The Euro sank ahead of the ECB’s release but stabilized later on as markets digested the mixed messages.

 

 

 

The ECB’s Governing Council said it plans to keep interest rates unchanged, and mentioned that it expects price developments to remain stable. The report mentioned a “moderate recovery” seen in the beginning of 2012, but warned that inflationary risks remain a factor in price action. Inflation fears have returned to the fore in Germany as property prices rise and monetary policy remains too loose.

 

However, the ECB also said it has the tools to combat inflation in the short and long term. The report pointed out that CPI is expected to stay above 2% this year but in the medium-term will slow to the ECB’s price stability target.

 

Apr 12, 2012 08:26

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - Euro, shares nervous ahead of Italian debt sale

 

 

 

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro dipped against the dollar and European shares inched higher on Thursday as nervousness grew ahead of an Italian debt sale that will gauge whether concerns over Spain are spreading to other debt-laden euro zone nations.

 

Data on industrial production across the euro area, which is likely to show it contracted by 0.3 percent in February, could also reignite fears that weak growth at a time of government austerity measures is undermining efforts to repair the region's finances.

 

Ahead of the Italian auction the euro fell to a low of $1.3102 before recovering to be steady at $1.1315, below a one-week high of $1.3158 struck on Wednesday, and within the $1.3030-$1.3165 range trodden in the past week.

 

"Should the Italian auction disappoint, we could see the euro reverse some of its gains," said Ankita Dudani, G-10 currency strategist at RBS Global Banking, who expects the bond sale to go through without much of a hitch.

 

Yields on 10-year Italian bonds were down 3.5 basis points to 5.506 percent in early trading, narrowing the spread over the less risky equivalent German bonds to 381 basis points and indicating fixed income investors are less worried about buying the debt.

Spanish 10-year bond yields were 2.7 basis points lower at 5.85 percent, with traders saying a disappointing Italian auction may be just the push needed for the yields to go back to around the 6 percent seen at the start of the week.

 

The turmoil in Spain's bond market that pushed the yields up has calmed down substantially following comments on Wednesday from European Central Bank executive board member Benoit Coeure, who hinted that the central bank might be willing to buy the debt from the market.

 

German Bund futures were slightly higher at 139.89, with 10-year cash yields steady at a near-record low 1.69 percent.

 

Italy's borrowing costs are expected to rise by about a full percentage point from a month ago at its 5 billion euro auction of new three-year bonds later, after the rate it pays for one-year money more than doubled at an auction on Wednesday.

 

STOCKS RECOVERY EXTENDS

 

European equity markets were slightly higher ahead of the Italian bond auction, adding to the previous session's tentative recovery following a week-long slide.

 

The FTSEurofirst 300 index (.FTEU3) of top European shares rose was up 1.83 points, or 0.2 percent, at 1,035.63. The Euro STOXX 50 (.STOXX50E) index of Europe's blue chip companies gained 0.2 percent to 2,389.45, having suffered a 4.5 percent decline over the last five days that all but eradicated the year-to-date gains.

Globally, the MSCI world equity index (.MIWD00000PUS) was up 0.2 percent 322.85 after a good start to the U.S. corporate reporting season lifted Wall Street stocks and a strong Australian employment report encouraged the rebound in Asia.

 

The U.S. dollar was slightly softer against a basket of currencies (.DXY) following comments by the No. 2 official at the U.S. central bank, Janet Yellen, who said on Wednesday the Federal Reserve's ultra-easy monetary policy was appropriate, given high unemployment and the headwinds facing the economy.

 

Oil markets were all mostly steady, despite oil sheen spotted near Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) platforms in the central Gulf of Mexico overnight.

 

Brent crude was up 31 cents at $120.49 a barrel after touching a low of $119.93 in early trade. U.S. oil was up 37 cents at $103.07, adding to $1.68 a barrel gains made on Wednesday.

 

 

Apr 12, 2012 08:55

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - EUR/USD Unmoved Following Positive Euro Industrial Production Data

 

 

 

THE TAKEAWAY: Eurozone industrial production rises 0.5% during February, beats analysts’ expectations -> Weak production in Germany outweighed by 13% increase in the Netherlands -> EUR/USD stays at the same level following the report

Eurozone industrial production rose by 0.5% for the month of February, led by France and the Netherlands. The actual production beat average estimates of a 0.2% decline. However, the numbers were 1.8% lower than February of the previous year, as expected by analysts.

 

The numbers can be seen as a sign of economic stabilization for the Eurozone; and a drop in industrial production in Germany and Spain was offset by improved production in France and the Netherlands. The weak German numbers that were released last week were not fully represented in today’s numbers as the slump in construction output was not included in the Eurozone survey.

 

EUR/USD did not react strongly to the better than expected data. The pair rose and fell following the release, but later settled back down to initial levels.

 

Apr 12, 2012 15:50

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFx - Euro down as Spain yields, China GDP worry

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Higher Spanish borrowing costs dragged the euro down on Friday, pulling the single currency to a second straight weekly loss against the dollar and the yen as the European debt crisis and slower-than-expected Chinese growth worried investors.

 

News that Spain's banks are virtually locked out of credit markets and relied heavily on cheap loans from the European Central Bank in March spooked investors, who then drove the cost of credit default swaps on Spanish debt to a record high.

 

The Spanish debt concerns stoked worries from earlier in the session, when data showed China's economy grew less than expected in the first quarter.

"The euro zone situation is slowly flaring up again, and that can have some people second-guessing how many euros they want to hold," said Sean Incremona, an economist at 4cast Ltd in New York.

 

"In the bigger picture, price action this week has been pretty inconsequential," he added. "We're pretty close to where it left off last week after the payroll action," when U.S. jobs data disappointed and the dollar sold off on views the U.S. Federal Reserve could ease policy further.

 

The single currency has been mostly range bound in recent weeks as investors look for a reason for large moves.

 

The euro fell 0.8 percent to $1.3080 on Friday, eroding what had previously been a slight advance for the week versus the dollar. The single currency was more recently off 0.16 percent against the greenback for the week.

 

Against the yen the euro was off 0.67 percent at 105.90 yen, for a fall of 0.815 percent this week.

 

The dollar's gains were broad-based, with the greenback rising 0.91 percent against the traditional safe-haven Swiss franc to 0.9192 francs. Against the yen, the dollar was up 0.09 percent at 80.95 yen.

 

"We are seeing the traditional reaction in that stocks are selling off, core bond markets are rallying, the dollar is rallying and commodities are getting hit," said George Davis, chief technical analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Toronto.

 

Investors could stay more pessimistic over the next few weeks, he said.

Uncertainty about the euro, however, has fallen as reflected in the options market, with three-month risk reversals in the euro/dollar still biased for euro puts, trading at -2.075 vols on Thursday, but improving from -3.5 vols in mid-February.

 

AUSSIE PRESSURED

 

The Australian dollar, which reacts strongly to Chinese data because Australia's commodity-driver economy relies heavily on Chinese demand, fell to as low as US$1.0352.

 

The Aussie had gained 1.2 percent on Thursday on a surprisingly strong local jobs report and solid bank lending data from China.

 

"We view yesterday's strong Australian employment and Chinese loan data as more important than the overnight Chinese Q1 GDP release and hence see the overnight sell-off in AUD as providing good levels to go long," Nomura analyst Geoff Kendrick said in a note.

 

Apr 13, 2012 12:50

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - Gold eases below $1,670/oz as dollar recovers

 

 

 

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices slipped below $1,670 an ounce on Friday, pausing in their biggest one-week rally since late February as the dollar firmed against key currencies, with the euro falling out of favor due to worries over Spain's financial health.

 

Nominally higher risk assets, like stocks and commodities, also came under pressure after Chinese growth data released overnight failed to meet expectations.

Spot gold was down 0.4 percent at $1,668.66 an ounce at 1453 GMT, while U.S. gold futures for June delivery fell $10.20 an ounce to $1,670.40.

 

The metal is still on track to rise 2.4 percent this week after a soft U.S. jobs report last Friday stoked expectations for new quantitative easing measures. Ultra-loose U.S. monetary policy was a key driver of record gold prices last year.

 

However, a rebound in the dollar on Friday took the wind out of the precious metal's sails.

 

"Especially in the United States, the investment climate is very neutral towards gold at this stage. People really need to see a policy catalyst before they come back aggressively," Standard Bank analyst Walter de Wet said.

"On the physical side, from the end of this month there is really no seasonal demand coming until August," he added. "It is going to be difficult to break much higher if we don't have this physical buying supporting any investment demand coming through for the next two or three months."

 

The dollar was up 0.4 percent against the euro as Spanish bond yields rose on data showing the country's banks were relying heavily on ECB lending, and after Chinese growth data disappointed traders. (FRX/)

The single currency hit a session low after a report showed U.S. consumer sentiment slipped in early April.

A report released on Friday showed China's economy grew at its weakest pace in nearly three years in the first quarter, with annual rate of expansion easing to 8.1 percent from 8.9 percent in the previous three months.

European shares were on track for a fourth straight week of losses as renewed concerns about the rising cost of borrowing in some highly indebted euro zone countries dampening sentiment, while safe-haven German bund futures rose. (.EU) (GVD/EUR)

 

Gold is expected to remain closely tied to the dollar on Friday. A stronger dollar tends to weigh on gold, as it makes dollar-priced commodities more expensive for other currency holders, and curbs the metal's appeal as an alternative asset.

 

STRUGGLE FOR MOMENTUM

 

Gold is on track to rise nearly 7 percent this year but has struggled to gain momentum after a strong showing in January as expectations for a further round on monetary easing fluctuate.

A Reuters poll released Friday showed analysts are turning more cautious towards gold, with heady forecasts of $2,000 an ounce receding fast as the economy stabilizes. (PREC/POLL)

While the precious metal remains on course to rally through this year and into 2013, just one analyst of 33 polled expected it to average more than $2,000 an ounce this year, against five analyst of 45 in a similar poll in January.

"The last six months has seen an increase in correlation between gold and other risk assets," Schroders Private Banking head of asset allocation Robert Farago said on Friday. "While this is not readily explainable and therefore may be somewhat coincidental, it does reduce the metal's attraction as a portfolio diversifier."

"I am not convinced that a deflationary environment will prove favorable in the short term," he added. "This would produce a liquidity squeeze and gold may well prove a source of funds since almost all investors are sitting on profits."

Physical buying in Asia's bullion market slowed to a trickle on Friday, as higher prices pushed traders to the sidelines, but a gold-buying festival in India in late April is likely to help bring in some demand from the world's top consumer of the metal.

Silver was down 0.9 percent at $32.02 an ounce, spot platinum was down 0.5 percent at $1,590.75 an ounce and spot palladium was down 0.2 percent at $647.75 an ounce.

CME Group, the biggest operator of U.S. futures exchanges, said it will cut margins for COMEX silver futures for the second time since February in an attempt to boost liquidity after a narrow price range tempered trading interest.

 

 

Apr 13, 2012 15:19

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

Eurozone March inflation revised up to 2.7 percent

Eurozone inflation in March revised up to 2.7 percent; increase was unexpected

 

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Inflation in the 17 countries that use the euro was higher than predicted in March, largely because of higher energy and transport costs, official figures showed Tuesday.

 

Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, said eurozone consumer prices in the year to March rose by 2.7 percent, up from the initial prediction of 2.6 percent. March's rate was the same as the previous month's and indicates that price pressures remain despite mounting fears that the eurozone as a whole will fall back into recession.

The surprise increase in inflation has reined in expectations that the European Central Bank will cut interest rates again any time soon. The bank, which is tasked with keeping inflation just below 2 percent, last cut borrowing costs in December, taking its main rate down to the joint-record low of 1 percent.

 

With oil prices remaining elevated, analysts said inflation could well remain above target for a while yet, even though Europe's dim growth prospects could weigh on consumer demand and wage increases.

 

Gustavo Bagattini, European economist at RBC Capital Markets, said he expects inflation to start declining in the second quarter of the year but won't average anything below 2.5 percent.

 

"This is consistent with our 2012 average forecast of 2.4 percent, which is in line with the ECB's forecast, meaning that the governing council will continue to have to accept a higher rate of inflation temporarily," Bagattini said.

 

The euro pushed ahead after the figures from $1.3145 to a day's high of $1.3173.

 

Apr 17, 2012 09:06

OctaFX.Com News Updates

 

 

 

[OctaFX_Farid]

 

OctaFX.Com - Canadian Dollar Soars on Hawkish BoC Comments

 

 

 

Currencies and equities are trading slightly higher this morning thanks to better than expected economic data from Europe and a relatively healthy Spanish bond auction. The EUR/USD is taking its cue from Spanish bond yields and the steep decline back below 6 percent encouraged investors to dip their toes back into euros. For the time being the 1.30 level continues to hold in the EUR/USD and even though we believe this level will be taken out eventually, a further rise in Spanish bond yields would be needed for that to happen. Mixed U.S. housing market numbers failed to have a lasting impact on the dollar. Housing starts fell for the second month in a row by 5.8 percent. This was the steepest slide in nearly a year and drove starts to a 5 month low. Building permits on the other hand continued to rise by 4.5 percent. Unlike starts, permits have gradually increased for the past 3 months and are now at its highest level since September 2008. The discrepancy between starts and permits is good news because it represents a tremendous amount of backlog and once the recovery gains momentum, housing starts will rise quickly because permits have already been attained by builders.

 

Meanwhile up North, the Bank of Canada is gearing up for a rate hike. According to the BoC, "removing stimulus may become appropriate." Unlike other parts of the world crippled by high debt levels and slowing growth, Canada has benefitted significantly from the improvement in the U.S. economy and the rise in oil prices. Business and consumer confidence in Canada improved to the point where the BoC felt comfortable enough to raise its 2012 growth forecast to 2.4 from 2 percent and its 2013 forecast from 2.4 to 2.8 percent. Most of Canadian growth is expected to come from domestic demand. Last month, Canada experienced its strongest pace of job growth since 2008 and this improvement in the labor market will translate into stronger consumption. In terms of external factors, the BoC is looking at it from a glass half full point of view - they expect Europe to rise from recession in the second half of the year and they view the U.S. economy has slightly stronger. If not for Europe's troubles, the BoC would have probably raised interest rates today. However don't interpret the BoC comments to mean that a rapid series of consecutive rate hikes will follow. The central bank will raise interest rates gradually to avoid over tightening in what can still be characterized as uncertain global economic conditions. The hawkish comments from the Bank of Canada drove USD/CAD to 0.99 and it should only be a matter of time before USD/CAD slips to a fresh 7 month low.

 

Apr 17, 2012 09:10

OctaFX.Com News Updates