DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Dollar hovers near highs as U.S. yields surge; PBOC bolsters yuan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this photo illustration, 100 U.S. dollar notes and 100 yuan notes are displayed. Money markets currently lay a bit less than 50/50 odds for another 25 basis point Fed hike by November, before the central bank shifts to rate cuts next year. The offshore yuan was little changed at 7.2872, after firming about 0.1% after the fixing. The Australian dollar , which often trades as a proxy to China, was also little changed at $0.6413 after initially strengthening slightly following the fixing. The Aussie has grinded higher in recent sessions after dropping to a 9 1/2-month low of $0.6365 on Thursday.

Persons: Richard Franulovich, Jerome Powell's, Franulovich, Powell, Kristina Clifton Organizations: U.S, U.S ., Westpac, Treasury, Commonwealth Bank of Australia Locations: Jackson Hole , Wyoming, China's, Beijing, China

☆ Westpac flags higher expenses in quarterly update; shares drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Archishma Iyer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Sydney-based Westpac fell about 2.1% to trade at A$20.82 at 0040 GMT, hitting their lowest since July 12. Broadly, Australia's major banks have all flagged stiff competition in the mortgage space, along with higher expenses as inflationary pressures weigh. The higher interest rates have also contributed to increased living costs, which are pushing up debt arrears. Westpac did not publish a comparable quarterly net profit figure for the same period a year earlier. The figure reported on Monday was below the A$2 billion average profit for the first two quarters of fiscal 2023.

Persons: David Gray, Riya Sharma, Archishma Iyer, Sam Holmes, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Sydney, Westpac, Citi, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Dollar gains intact as China disappoints, traders eye Jackson Hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The yuan slid to the weak side of 7.3 per dollar despite a firm fixing of its trading range by the central bank. The Antipodean currencies often function as a liquid proxy for the yuan owing to the region's exports to China. Like the yuan, the yen is also on intervention-watch, having fallen to levels around which authorities stepped in last year. The Swiss franc was just above a six-week low made last week at 0.8817 per dollar. "Two things that may come across are: decades of ultra-low rates backed by ultra-low inflation may be over," said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank in Singapore.

Persons: Jackson, Sterling, Jerome Powell, Vishnu Varathan Organizations: Federal, Treasury, New Zealand, Australian, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Swiss, Mizuho Bank Locations: China, London, New York, Wyoming, Singapore

☆ Westpac flags margin squeeze from rising home loan competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/David Gray Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Reports quarterly cash profit A$1.8 billionLate loan repayments rises to 0.8% in AustraliaCET1 Ratio of 11.9%Aug 21 (Reuters) - Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), Australia's third-largest lender, on Monday posted a quarterly cash profit of A$1.8 billion ($1.15 billion), as increased competition for home lending squeezed margins. Australia's major banks have all flagged stiff competition in the mortgage space, along with higher expenses as inflationary pressures weigh. Sydney-based Westpac said expenses for the second half to date were up 5% from the first half, fuelled by higher supplier costs and staff wages. In Australia, loan repayments past 90 days late rose to 0.80% in the three-months ended June, up 7 basis points from 0.73% in March, Westpac said. The lender reported a core net interest margin of 1.86% for the quarter, down 4 basis points from the first half of fiscal 2023.

Persons: David Gray, Riya Sharma, Archishma Iyer, Lisa Shumaker, Sam Holmes Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac Banking Corp, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia Bank, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Dollar shines on U.S. economic resilience, Aussie tumbles after employment data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Hundred dollar bills are seen in this photo illustraiton in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 21, 2022. The Australian dollar tumbled after the country's July employment unexpectedly fell while its jobless rate ticked up more than expected. The Aussie sank nearly 1% after the release of the figures, dragging the New Zealand dollar alongside it. "We've got the U.S. staying really resilient still, under the weight of high interest rates," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, or CBA. "We expect 25-basis-point rate hikes in both September and November, for a peak policy rate of 5.75%," said Wells Fargo economist Nick Bennenbroek of the Bank of England's monetary policy outlook.

Persons: homebuilding, We've, Carol Kong, Kong, Wells, Nick Bennenbroek, Matt Simpson, there's, CBA's Organizations: dovish Bank of Japan, Aussie, New Zealand, U.S, Federal Reserve, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Fed, FX, Bank of England, Bank, Australian, Zealand, Reserve Bank of Australia, People's Bank of China, The U.S Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Asia, Japan, China, CBA's Kong, The

☆ Dollar shines on US economic resilience; Aussie tumbles after employment data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Australian dollar tumbled after the country's July employment unexpectedly fell while its jobless rate ticked up more than expected. The Aussie sank nearly 1% after the release of the figures, dragging the New Zealand dollar alongside it. The yen bottomed out at 146.565 per dollar in early Asia trade, its lowest level since November, having come under renewed pressure as a result of interest rate differentials between the U.S. and Japan. "We've got the U.S. staying really resilient still, under the weight of high interest rates," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). "We expect 25-basis-point rate hikes in both September and November, for a peak policy rate of 5.75%," said Wells Fargo economist Nick Bennenbroek of the Bank of England's monetary policy outlook.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, homebuilding, We've, Carol Kong, Kong, Wells, Nick Bennenbroek, Matt Simpson, there's, CBA's, Rae Wee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, dovish Bank of Japan, Aussie, New Zealand, U.S, Federal Reserve, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Fed, FX, Bank of England, Bank, Zealand, Reserve Bank of Australia, People's Bank of China, The U.S, Thomson Locations: Asia, Japan, China, CBA's Kong, The

☆ Aussie lender NAB's quarterly margins decline on stiff competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. A high interest rate environment has benefited Australian banks, but they now face headwinds from rising bad debt and increasing competition for mortgages. Last week, the country's biggest lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) posted record annual profit on the back of rising interest rates, but warned higher living costs were pushing up debt arrears and competition was squeezing margins. NAB's net interest margin - a key measure of profitability - slipped to 1.72% in the April-June quarter from 1.77% as at March 31. The country's second-biggest lender, however, reported a 5% increase in cash earnings from higher interest rates.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, NIM, Ross McEwan, Upasana Singh, Archishma Iyer, Shilpi Majumdar, Shinjini Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, NAB, CBA, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, 3Q23, Bengaluru

☆ Aussie lender NAB's Q3 margins decline; shares up on cash earnings beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Archishma Iyer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The National Australia Bank Logo is seen on a branch in central Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. Shares of the country's second-biggest bank rose 1.3% to trade at A$28.70 at 0115 GMT. Last week, the country's biggest lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) posted record annual profit but warned higher living costs were pushing up debt arrears and competition was squeezing margins. "Consensus NIM expectations might need to moderate down, but the current run rate in earnings would suggest NAB is on track to deliver on fourth quarter FY23 cash earnings expectations," analysts from UBS wrote. It posted cash earnings of A$1.90 billion, compared with A$1.80 billion a year earlier and beating a Visible Alpha consensus of A$1.83 billion.

Persons: Daniel Munoz, NIM, Ross McEwan, Upasana Singh, Archishma Iyer, Shilpi Majumdar, Shinjini, Sohini Organizations: National, REUTERS, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, NAB, UBS, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, 3Q23, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar in holding pattern as US inflation test looms; PBOC supports yuan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Banknotes of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 29, 2022. The Australian and New Zealand dollars hovered close to two-month lows amid a worsening economic outlook for key trade partner China. The dollar was little changed at 143.79 yen , after earlier drifting to the highest since July 7 at 143.90. Elsewhere, the Chinese yuan tacked on about 0.1% to 7.2235 per dollar in offshore trading after the PBOC set a stronger official mid-point than the market consensus for a second day. New Zealand's kiwi was flat at $0.6053, just above Tuesday's low of $0.6035, which was the weakest since June 8.

Persons: Florence Lo, Tony Sycamore, Sycamore, Kristina Clifton, Joe Biden, Kevin Buckland, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, New, People's Bank of China, Street, Fed, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, U.S, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, China, U.S, Japan

☆ Dollar in holding pattern as U.S. inflation test looms, PBOC supports yuan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A Chinese 100 yuan banknote, a 1 U.S. dollar bill and a 50 euro banknote are lying on a table. The Australian and New Zealand dollars hovered close to two-month lows amid a worsening economic outlook for key trade partner China. The dollar was little changed at 143.79 yen , after earlier drifting to the highest since July 7 at 143.90. Elsewhere, the Chinese yuan tacked on about 0.1% to 7.2235 per dollar in offshore trading after the PBOC set a stronger official mid-point than the market consensus for a second day. New Zealand's kiwi was flat at $0.6053, just above Tuesday's low of $0.6035, which was the weakest since June 8.

Persons: —, Tony Sycamore, Sycamore, Kristina Clifton, Joe Biden Organizations: Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, New, People's Bank of China, Street, Fed, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, U.S Locations: U.S, New Zealand, China, Japan

☆ Asian shares hesitant on China deflation risk, bank jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) edged 0.4% higher after a 1.2% tumble a day earlier. Closely watched China data on Wednesday showed consumer prices fell 0.3% in July from a year ago, the first decline since February 2021, although it was slightly better than the forecast of a 0.4% drop. Producer prices fell for a 10th consecutive month. 10-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 4.004%, after falling 5 basis points overnight to as low as 3.9840%, a one-week trough. Brent crude futures eased 0.2% to $86.02 per barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures also fell 0.2% to $82.73.

Persons: Issei Kato, Carol Kong, Kong, Chetan Ahya, Morgan Stanley, Dow, Stella Qiu, Jamie Freed, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Japan's Nikkei, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Wall, Nasdaq, U.S, Brent, . West Texas, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, SYDNEY, Italy, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, Brazil

Banks now must sacrifice profit to keep customers who are struggling to make repayments on time. Cash profit for the year ended June 30 rose 6% to A$10.16 billion, slightly ahead of analyst forecasts, but CBA put aside $A1.47 billion more in provisions due to "ongoing cost of living pressures and rising interest rates". CBA stopped offering cash payments for mortgage refinancings to lure new borrowers in June, which CEO Matt Comyn said had "weighed on our market share". CBA's mortgage book grew in line with the total market in 2023. The number of borrowers struggling to repay loans, while rising, remained below pre-pandemic levels "but these figures will rise", Comyn said.

Persons: Banks, Matt Comyn, Comyn, Australia's, Byron Kaye, Sameer Manekar, Anil D'Silva, Stephen Coates, Jamie Freed Organizations: CBA, SYDNEY, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Citi, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ Group, Thomson Locations: COVID, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ Oil prices edge up as production cuts keep market supported
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An offshore drilling platform stands in shallow waters at the Manifa offshore oilfield, operated by Saudi Aramco, in Manifa, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. Oil prices rose in early trade on Tuesday as supply concerns arising from production cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia supported the market. But Saudi and Russia's production cut could remain a bullish factor to oil markets," said CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng in a note. "Saudi Arabia's decision to extend production cuts into September despite Brent futures rising above $80 per barrel suggests that the kingdom may be targeting a higher price than $80 per barrel." It maintained oil output cuts of 3.66 million barrels per day for 2023, and extended and deepened cuts from January 2024 by a further 1.4 million barrels per day.

Persons: Tina Teng, Vivek Dhar, Brent Organizations: Saudi Aramco, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Saudi, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Organization of, Petroleum, OPEC Locations: Manifa, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, United States, OPEC, Saudi

"The big thing we're watching for is any sign that rates of bad and doubtful debt are rising," Macquarie analysts said. Analysts at Citi expect cash profit to rise 3.5% to A$9.93 billion, while a Visible Alpha consensus estimate stands at A$10.11 billion. "Most banks may maintain buy-backs and lift dividends as they are still healthy on capital ratios." The heavyweight banking index, the S&P/ASX 200 Financials (.AXFJ), has gained 0.4% so far this year, as of last close. ($1 = 1.5230 Australian dollars)Reporting by Upasana Singh and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Gray, Banks, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, Tina Teng, Upasana Singh, Rishav Chatterjee, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ Group, Reserve Bank of Australia, Macquarie, CBA, Citi, NAB, ANZ, WBC, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Southbank, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar creeps higher ahead of U.S., China economic data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar inched higher on Tuesday but traded in a narrow range as investors were hesitant to take on new positions ahead of a key U.S. inflation reading this week, while focus in Asia turned to China's trade data out later in the day. The trade figures come a day ahead of the country's inflation reading, with markets on the lookout for further signs of deflation in the world's second-largest economy. Ahead of the data release, the offshore yuan was little changed at 7.2039 per dollar. The Aussie slipped 0.05% to $0.6571, while the kiwi fell 0.08% to $0.6102. "With the (Federal Reserve's) interest rate policymaking remaining data dependent, every data point has been eliciting an even higher level of vigilance," said Gary Dugan, chief investment officer at Dalma Capital.

Persons: Carol Kong, Sterling, Gary Dugan Organizations: New, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Aussie, U.S, ANZ, Dalma Locations: U.S, Asia, New Zealand

☆ Dollar creeps higher ahead of US, China economic data
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The trade figures come a day ahead of the country's inflation reading, with markets on the lookout for further signs of deflation in the world's second-largest economy. Ahead of the data release, the offshore yuan was little changed at 7.2039 per dollar. The Aussie slipped 0.05% to $0.6571, while the kiwi fell 0.08% to $0.6102. "This week's economic data ... will continue to paint a picture of a weak Chinese economic recovery," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "With the (Federal Reserve's) interest rate policymaking remaining data dependent, every data point has been eliciting an even higher level of vigilance," said Gary Dugan, chief investment officer at Dalma Capital.

Persons: Jo Yong, Carol Kong, Sterling, Gary Dugan, Rae Wee, Sam Holmes Organizations: Korea Exchange Bank, REUTERS, New, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Aussie, U.S, ANZ, Dalma, Thomson Locations: Seoul, SINGAPORE, U.S, Asia, New Zealand

Sterling traded higher after recovering knee-jerk losses following the Bank of England's decision to downshift to a quarter point rate hike on Thursday. The U.S. dollar index , which gauges the currency against a basket of six counterparts, edged 0.06% lower to 102.39 in Asia. On Thursday, it had pushed to the highest since July 7 at 102.84 at one point, but lost steam later in the day with the monthly nonfarm payrolls report looming on Friday. The dollar slipped slightly to 142.40 yen , as long-term Treasury yields - which the currency pair tends to track closely - retreated from Thursday's nearly nine-month high at 4.198% in Tokyo trading. At the same time, "unless or until what's been happening with Treasury yields reverses, there's no meaningful prospect of dollar-yen coming down here, unless we see a very dramatic deterioration in risk sentiment," he added.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sterling, Kristina Clifton, BoE, Ray Attrill, Attrill, Kevin Buckland, Brigid Riley, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, of, U.S, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Asia, Thursday's, Tokyo, U.S

☆ Australia holds rates steady, might be done tightening
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Markets had leaned toward a steady outcome given recent data showed inflation had eased for a second quarter and consumer spending was softening. However, economists were more split on the outcome, with 20 out of 36 polled by Reuters expecting a hike. Swaps now implied a risk of around 13 basis points of tightening by year end. In a relief for policymakers, headline inflation slowed more than expected in the second quarter while retail sales posted their biggest fall this year in June. "While the RBA retains a tightening bias, we expect the hurdle to another rate hike is high.

Persons: Philip Lowe, Lowe, Michele Bullock, Belinda Allen, Goldman Sachs, Hebe Chen, Stella Qiu, Wayne Cole, Anisha Sircar, Sam Holmes Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank of Australia, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, CBA, National Australia Bank, IG, Reuters Global Markets, Thomson

☆ Yen eases to 3-week low as traders weigh BOJ shift; focus on RBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"As the new line in the sand is 1%, it would make sense to broaden the YCC band by this level." Investor attention during Asian hours will be on the policy decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia. "However, we expect any post RBA strength in Aussie to be short lived given the weak global economic outlook." Bank of England's policy meeting on Thursday is in the spotlight, with markets evenly divided between a 25- and 50-basis-point increase. Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Casanova, Kristina Clifton, CBA's Clifton, Sterling, Ankur Banerjee, Muralikumar Organizations: of Japan's, Reserve Bank of, Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Survey, Bank of, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, Hong Kong, U.S, Singapore

☆ Yen eases to 3-week low as traders weigh BOJ shift, focus on RBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The yen slipped to a fresh three-week low on Tuesday as traders pondered the Bank of Japan's steps last week to tweak its yield curve control policy, while the Australian dollar was soft ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy decision. "As the new line in the sand is 1%, it would make sense to broaden the YCC band by this level." Investor attention during Asian hours will be on the policy decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia. "However, we expect any post RBA strength in Aussie to be short lived given the weak global economic outlook." Bank of England's policy meeting on Thursday is in the spotlight, with markets evenly divided between a 25- and 50-basis-point increase.

Persons: Carlos Casanova, Kristina Clifton, CBA's Clifton Organizations: of Japan's, Reserve Bank of, Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Survey, Bank of Locations: Asia, Hong Kong, U.S

☆ Point of no return: Australians fight for the right to work from home permanently
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

You can actually finish work at five, rather than finishing at five spending 45 minutes trying to get home." When you have a jolt, you never return to the way the world was," said John Buchanan, head of the University of Sydney's Health and Work Research Network. That same week, the public sector union struck a deal the which lets Australia's 120,000 federal employees request work-from-home an unlimited number of days. By comparison, Canada's federal workers ended a two-week strike in May with a wages agreement that came without the WFH protections they wanted. Among employees with WFH experience, 19% wanted to return to the office full-time, the survey found.

Persons: David Gray, SYDNEY, Nicholas Coomber, Coomber, Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, John Buchanan, We're, Jones Lang Lasalle, Melissa Donnelly, WFH, Mathias Dolls, Jim Stanford, Stanford, Byron Kaye, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, JPMorgan Chase, Twitter, University of Sydney's Health, Work Research, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, NAB, European Union, Community, Public Sector Union, CBA, ifo, Macroeconomics, Stanford University, Workers, Centre, Australia Institute, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Southbank, Australia, New Zealand, Tokyo, New York, JLL.N, Hamburg

☆ Yen eyes first monthly gain since March, dollar headed for monthly loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows the Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes in Tokyo, Japan. Photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows the Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes in Tokyo, Japan. The U.S. dollar was conversely headed for a monthly loss on the prospect that the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate-hike cycle, a key driver of the dollar's strength, could have concluded with last week's 25-basis-point increase. Elsewhere, the dollar edged broadly lower in early Asia trade, with the dollar index steadying at 101.62. It was headed for a monthly decline of roughly 1.2%, extending its loss to a second month.

Persons: they've, Chris Weston, Carol Kong, Sterling, CBA's Organizations: U.S, Bank of Japan, Federal, Market Committee, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Central Bank, Bank of, Australian, New Zealand Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, U.S

☆ Yen eyes first monthly gain since March; dollar headed for monthly loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The yen was about 0.3% lower at 141.57 per dollar, but was headed to end July with a roughly 2% gain, its first monthly rise since March. The dollar eventually ended the Friday session with a 1.2% gain against the Japanese currency, though that was after it had slid 1% to a session-low of 138.05 yen. DOLLAR EYES MONTHLY LOSSThe U.S. dollar was headed for a monthly loss on the prospect that the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate-hike cycle - a key driver of the dollar's strength - could have concluded with last week's 25-basis-point increase. The dollar index was last 0.11% higher at 101.72, but was eyeing a monthly decline of more than 1%, extending its loss to a second month. The euro rose 0.02% to $1.1017 and was eyeing a monthly gain of about 1%, though last week's European Central Bank policy meeting similarly raised the possibility of a rate pause in September.

Persons: they've, Chris Weston, Carol Kong, Sterling, Rae Wee, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Bank of Japan, U.S, Federal, Market, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Central Bank, Bank of, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, U.S

☆ Stocks slip, yen surges on speculation of Bank of Japan policy tweak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The BOJ sets policy later in the session. The Nikkei newspaper reported, without citing sources, that policymakers will discuss tweaking the yield control policy to allow 10-year government bond yields above a 0.5% cap in some circumstances. "I think the idea is even a tiny tweak is a big deal for the BOJ. Japan's Nikkei (.N225) opened 1.4% lower though bank shares (.IBNKS.T) surged to an eight-year high on the prospect of rising interest income at lenders. Further strong U.S. data, with better-than-expected second-quarter growth figures out overnight drove up longer-end Treasury yields and the U.S. dollar.

Persons: Imre Speizer, We'll, Kristina Clifton, Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Jerome Powell, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Nikkei, ECB, SYDNEY, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Westpac, Japan's Nikkei, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Federal Reserve, Fed, U.S ., Nasdaq, Intel, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Asia, Pacific, Japan

☆ Reactions to Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 28 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan maintained ultra-low interest rates on Friday but took steps to make its yield curve control policy more flexible, underscoring growing concerns over the rising side- effects of prolonged monetary easing. It also maintained guidance allowing the 10-year yield to move 0.5% around the 0% target, but said those would be "references" rather than "rigid limits". The benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield remained at 0.5%, the BOJ's policy ceiling under YCC. "We maintain our view the BOJ will keep its ultra-easy monetary policy settings unchanged this year, and expect USD/JPY to remain solid at 140 by the end of this quarter." MOH SIONG SIM, CURRENCY STRATEGIST, BANK OF SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE"By the time the decision come in, we're not surprised given the overnight Nikkei report.

Persons: CAROL KONG, we're, It's, they're, MATT SIMPSON, Subhranshu Organizations: Bank of Japan, Japan's Nikkei, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF, BANK OF SINGAPORE, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: SYDNEY, SINGAPORE, BRISBANE

Search resuls for: "Commonwealth Bank Of Australia"

25 mentions found