Data revealed that German GDP contracted during the second quarter and also that French GDP stagnated. This triggered worries over the possibility of a decrease in crude oil demand. Last year, the Euro zone was responsible for close to 16% of global consumption. The Brent for October dropped by 0.33%, trading at 104.71. Meanwhile on the NYME, crude for September
The Yen was lower for the fourth straight day as geopolitical tensions eased and haven demand fell. As Ukraine has compromised and allowed Russian aid to the war-torn regions the Japanese currency fell 0.1% against both the Dollar and the Euro and was trading at 102.56 and 136.97, respectively. Meanwhile, the Won has Jumped 0.8% against the Dollar after its central bank lowered the interest rate.
During the Asian session the Greenback climbed against the Yen due to higher risk sentiment, contradicting expectations for a peaceful Japanese holiday. The Dollar was trading at 102.58 against the Yen from the previous day's 102.45. Although reasons for the move are unclear, some traders suspect that it is due to the better performance of the US economy when compared
After the German and French economy reports came out worse than forecast Europe's stock-index futures lost 0.3%. As these Euro Stoxx 50 futures for September reached 3,049 the FTSE 100 also lost 0.1%. The German economy contracted 0.2% compared to the 0.7% rise in the first quarter with the French GDP failing to grow. Now the focus shifts to the overall Euro zone's GDP.
Although the common currency was steady against the US Dollar, it managed to slightly correct its price before Euro zone's GDP and CPI were revealed. Inflation in the Euro zone is forecast at 0.4% while the GDP is expected to inch up by 0.1%. The Euro was steady at 1.3364 against the Greenback, experiencing a small correction from yesterday, when
The Australian Dollar remained stable against the Greenback after data concerning Australia's inflation expectations dropped over the last month. Additionally, traders are still attentive to the US unemployment claims data due to be released today. The pair hit 0.9288 while on the Asian session and proceeded to consolidate at 0.9230.
The Pound hit a four-month low after BoE stated that it is not in a rush to raise interest rates. Mark Carney also added that future wages are most likely to influence the exact time of the interest hike. These comments made the GBP/USD pair fall to 1.6668 - a level not seen since mid-April. The Cable has already dropped 3% from the six year
The Sterling dropped to its lowest level in two months against the US Dollar driven by the BoE's inflation report. According to the BoE, a rise in interest rates rests on wage growth, which forecast was reviewed from 2.5% to 1.25% in 2014. The Pound fell 0.54% versus the Greenback trading at 1.6720, its lowest price since June 4
The Bank of England governor Mark Carney claimed that the geopolitical risks and Euro zone's frailty could hinder the UK economic recovery. As the labour market report today showed mixed signals with the unemployment numbers dropping and wages falling he also added that interest rates should only be raised gradually and by a limited amount. In addition after Carney's speech the Pound reached its lowest
With emerging market currencies depreciating against the Franc and growing production costs in Switzerland exporters are starting to worry. As the SNB is still holding onto the 1.20 cap against the Euro this year the currency has jumped 14.2% against the Rupiah and 13% against the Lira. These rises have already contributed to large losses in sales such as the $1 billion for the cement company
The change in the number of unemployment claims fell by 33,600 in the UK, surpassing its 29,700 forecast. Additionally, the unemployment rate unsurprisingly dropped to 6.4% from the previous month's 6.5%. However, the average earnings index revealed a downfall of 0.2%. Subsequent to the data release, the Sterling dropped against the Greenback by 0.06%, trading at 1.6802.
In spite of geopolitical tensions in both Ukraine and the Middle East, global oil supplies revealed to be more abundant than expected, causing Brent oil futures to drop to its lowest level in thirteen months. Brent for September sank by 0.36%, trading at 102.65 dollars a barrel. Meanwhile on the NYME, crude for September inched up by 0.05%, trading at
While on the Asian session, gold prices marginally dropped as traders wait for developments regarding European data and geopolitical worries. Yesterday, Germany suggested that the conflict in Eastern Europe could be preventing global economic recovery, increasing demand for safe-haven assets as a result. Gold futures for delivery in December fell 0.05% to trade at 1,310.00.
The US Dollar remained steady against the Japanese Yen after the release of Japan's GDP data. During the second quarter the real GDP decreased by 6.8%, revealing to be less than the 7.1% forecast. Earlier this day, the Greenback rose from 102.25 to 102.28 against the Yen.
The common currency remained steady versus the US Dollar just above its lowest level in nine months. Traders are still cautious while they focus on Euro zone's data regarding inflation and economic growth, due to be released on Thursday. The Euro traded at 1.3371 against the US Dollar, close to its lowest level in nine months at 1.3332.
China's industrial and fixed-asset investment growth was lower, which could add to the worries about its economic recovery. With the industrial output growing 9.0% year-on-year in July and fixed-asset investment increasing 17% there could be increased growth risk as the property sector and loans are still worrying. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite Index was 0.4% lower after the data.
Japan's economy shrunk by the largest amount since the 2011 earthquake as spending dropped after the sales-tax increase in April. The country's GDP lost an annualized 6.8% in this year's second quarter as household consumption plunged at an annual rate of 19.2% and private investment at 9.7%. Furthermore, the Japanese government plans to raise the tax even further if the GDP recovers.
During the Asian session, gold prices dropped further as tension in both Ukraine and the Middle East eases. However, breaks in geopolitical conflicts are not uncommon, therefore traders are still remaining cautious as the conflict may worsen once again. This caused gold's December delivery futures to decline, trading at 1,309.10 dollars.
As the demand for safe-haven and low-risk currencies eases, a process related to diminishing geopolitical worries, the New Zealand Dollar slipped to its minimal level in two months against the Greenback. The pair dropped to 0.8409, its lowest value since June 4, and proceeded to consolidate at 0.8422. The Kiwi also lost against its Australian counterpart, falling by 0.35% to
The Yen dropped for two days in a row against the US Dollar, falling from its highest level in three weeks. As geopolitical tensions diminish, demand for the Yen as a safe-haven dropped considerably. Against the Greenback it fell by 0.1% trading at 102.27. Meanwhile, the Yen managed to gain against the Euro, trading at 136.74 from 136.78.
Traders are focused on the data scheduled to be released today in regard to Germany's ZEW economic sentiment. The Euro keeps dropping versus the greenback, remaining below the 1.34 level which was broken the day before. The common currency sank by 0.13% to trade at 1.3366 against the Dollar and lingering near its lowest price since November 2013.
As the American Petroleum Institute is about to release a report regarding supply data, the WTI crude fell after rising for three days. Likewise, the Brent also weakened. September delivery, in regard to the WTI, dropped to 97.68 dollars a barrel on the NYME. As for the Brent, September delivery dropped by 0.4% to 104.27 dollars a barrel, sitting near
The Lira rose as Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the first direct presidential election. This will allow the former prime minister to extend his stay in power to 2019. With the Turkish Lira adding 0.3% and reaching 2.1383 per Dollar the currency overall is 0.5% stronger this year. Now the attention for Turkey's economy shifts to its foreign debt and inflation.
The Sterling managed to recover from its lowest level in two months against the Greenback. After being pressured by the possibility of increased rates, the Pound climbed and was able to recover by 0.10% to trade at 1.6789 against the US Dollar ahead of BoE's inflation report due to be released on Wednesday, along with several other indicators and a