The Swiss Franc declined to the lowest level in almost 8 months versus the Euro as the ECB's bond-buying plan curtailed demand for safer assets. Switzerland's currency dropped for a fifth consecutive day against the Euro after the SNB's foreign-exchange reserves rose at a slower pace in August, signalling there was less need to intervene and weaken the nation's currency.
The 17-nation currency fell on renewed worries about the Eurozone debt turmoil before Greece's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras meets representatives from the country's creditors. The Euro weakened versus most of the 16 major counterparts as Samaras did not secure agreement from the coalition on 11.5B euros of spending cuts demanded by the lenders. The Euro slid 0.3% to $1.2784.
Japan revised down growth numbers for the Q2, adding to concerns about a downturn in the world's third biggest economy. The government reported that the nation's economy expanded at a 0.7% annual rate during the April-June period, down from the earlier forecast of 1.4%. Depressed domestic demand and weakening exports have undermined Japan's growth.
China's imports unexpectedly declined, while industrial production increased the least since 2010, indicating more stimulus might be required following the nation's government announcement of approved road and subway projects. Inbound shipments fell 2.6% in August from the previous year as exports grew 2.7%, the customs bureau reported today.
The pace of purchasing activity in the Canadian economy slowed in August, but stronger-than-expected, according to Ivey Purchasing Managers Index data released on Friday, September 7. The data showed the seasonally adjusted index dipped to 62.5 in August from 62.8 in the preceding month. Analysts had predicted Canada's Ivey PMI to drop to 58.3.
European stocks edged higher on Friday, on growing expectations for bond buying in the euro zone, but disappointing U.S. nonfarm-payrolls data weighed on investors' minds. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.22% to 272.26; French CAC 40 Index jumped 0.38% to 3,524.82, while German DAX 30 Index gained 0.7% to 7,218.92.
The 17-nation currency increased versus the Greenback on Friday after the disappointing U.S. Labor Department report on non-farm payrolls. EUR/USD gained 1.12% to trade at 1.2773, up from a day-low of 1.2627. The pair's support was likely to be at 1.2627, while the resistance was prone to be found at 1.2779.
Futures for crude were lower one Friday, trimming earlier gains on disappointing U.S. non-farm payroll data. On the NYMEX, October delivery futures for crude oil declined USD1.46 and reached USD94.08, which was a day-low. Earlier in the day, before the release of the data, it hit USD96.59 per barrel, which was a day-high.
On Friday, treasuries grew as the amount of jobs in the U.S. increased less than it was expected, which fueled bets that Fed will start another round of quantitative easing. The benchmark yield on 10-year bonds decreased by 6 basis points, and reached 1.62% at 8:51 in New York. It hit 1.75% earlier in the day, which was the highest since August 22.
On Friday, futures for natural gas were traded lower, despite the report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration that showed that gas supplies increased less than expected. On the NYMEX, October delivery futures were traded at USD2.769 a MMBtu, which was a 0.91% decline for the U.S. afternoon trade.
British industrial output soared at its fastest pace for 25 years in July, official data showed on Friday. In a report, National Statistics said that industrial output rose by 2.9%, after dropping by 2.4% in the previous month. Moreover, manufacturing output rose by 3.2%, the fastest pace for 10 years, after falling by 2.9% in June. Despite strong rise in July, industrial output erased 0.8%
Canadian unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.3 per cent, in line with market expectations, Statistics Canada reported on Friday. At the same time, employment rose by 34.3 thousand jobs, after falling 30.4 thousand in the preceding month, beating expectations of 10 thousand.
Oil futures edged higher after unemployment rate in the world's biggest economy fell by 0.2% and Eurozone's policy makers agreed on launching massive bond buying program. Light sweet crude futures for delivery in October traded at $96.16 per barrel, adding 0.67%.
U.S. stocks rocketed on Friday, as weaker-than-expected growth in American payrolls spurred bets the Fed will undertake more monetary stimulus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to 13,312 points; the Standard & Poor 500 Index edged 0.25% higher, to 1,434.60, while Nasdaq 100 futures rose by 0.04%, to reach 2,826.75.
Gold futures turned lower on Friday, September 7, retreating from the highest level in nearly six months reached the prior day. Bullion with December contract erased 0.5 per cent, to $1,697.10 per ounce. Elsewhere in the metals complex, prices were mixed. December silver lost 1.05 per cent to $32.335 per ounce, while copper for the same month jumped 1.04 per cent to $3.580 per pound.
U.S. unemployment rate fell to 8.1 per cent in August, down from 8.3 per cent in the preceding month, the Labor Department figures showed today. In the meanwhile, U.S. employers added only 96,000 jobs last month following a revised 141,000 rise in July that was smaller than initially predicted. Moreover, hourly earnings were unchanged.
The German Economy Ministry reported today that the industrial output grew by 1.3% in July, compared to a preceding month's 0.4% decline. The figure for June is revised up from an initially reported 0.9% drop. The analysts, however, expected that there would be no change in July's output. Year over year, the industrial production fell by 1.4%
Statistics Canada reported on Friday that labor productivity in Canadian businesses fell by 0.4% in the second quarter, compared to no change during the three previous months. The real GDP of businesses increased by only 0.5%, while the amount of hours worked grew by 0.9%. The fall in labor productivity was steeper than expected, since analysts predicted that it would remain unchanged.
On Friday, Statistics Canada reported that the amount of building permits in August grew to -2.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from the figure of -2.5% in July. The growth is more modest than expected, since economists expected that the amount of building permits in Canada would increase to -2.0% last month.
German shares extended pervious gains on Friday ahead of the key economic data releases from the US. Rally of Asian equities and recent ECB decision also boosted German stocks. Adding to the positive mood of German equities, national industrial production advanced more-than-expected last month. German DAX Index gained 0.87% to trade at 7,231.10. All but one sectors included in the
UK stocks pared gains on Friday ahead of the US payrolls data. UK shares continued to draw strength from the recent ECB decision regarding unlimited short-term debt purchasing program. Adding to the gains of the UK stock index, national manufacturing production rose more-than-expected in August. The FTSE 100 Index advanced by 0.20% to trade at 5,788.13. Only four in ten
Hong Kong stocks soared on Friday after the government unveiled its plan to build more roads. The announcement raised speculation that the government will embark on stimulus measures. The results of the ECB press conference also spurred rally in Chinese equities. The Hang Seng Index skyrocketed 3.09% to end the week at 19,802.16. All economic sectors included in the index
U.K. industrial production tumbled 0.8% on year in July, after a 3.8% decline in June, National Statistics reported on Friday. Economists estimated a 2.8% decrease. It added 2.9% on month in July, after a 2.4% fall in June and exceeding forecasts of a 1.5% rise. U.K. manufacturing production dropped 0.5% on year, after a 4.3% slid in June, above estimates
Japanese equity market faced a boost after the ECB announced a bond-purchasing plan to ease debt pressure in the region. Positive data from the US services industry and labour market also lifted Japanese stocks. Meanwhile, market players remained focused on US non-farm payroll data due later in the day. The Nikkei 225 Index soared 2.20%, halting two-week decline and consolidating