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☆ Dollar rises slightly, sterling hovers near one-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The offshore yuan last traded 0.1% lower at 6.9287 per U.S. dollar. The benchmark 10-year yield was last at 3.4995%, after rising more than five basis points in the previous session. There's still a tightening in credit conditions that is coming ... but overall, at this stage, the survey is not depicting a credit crunch ahead. The Aussie was last 0.05% lower at $0.67775, after having risen to a roughly three-week top of $0.6804 on Monday. The kiwi fell 0.2% to $0.6332, having similarly scaled a one-month high of $0.63585 the day earlier.

☆ Dollar edges up, sterling hovers near one-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The euro was last 0.16% lower at $1.0987, while the Japanese yen slipped 0.1% to 135.24 per dollar. There's still a tightening in credit conditions that is coming ... but overall, at this stage, the survey is not depicting a credit crunch ahead. "The dollar didn't really get much of a kick on that," said Catril, referring to the survey. The kiwi slipped 0.11% to $0.6338, having similarly scaled a one-month high of $0.63585 the day earlier. Elsewhere, the British pound fell 0.06% to $1.26105, but was not far from the previous session's one-year peak of $1.2668, ahead of Thursday's central bank policy meeting.

2 lender, fell short of analyst forecasts in half-year profit released on Thursday and took a hit to its share price after warning that the windfall from rising interest rates had peaked. The update signals a tough new phase for Australia's lenders which have benefited from a year of rising interest rates by charging more to borrowers while limiting the amount they pay deposit-holders. "What the market's concerned about is the exit NIM (net interest margin)," said Hugh Dive, chief investment officer at Atlas Funds Management which holds bank stocks. In personal banking, which includes mortgages, profit shrank slightly due to a A$393 million impairment charge. The bank had telephoned 7,000 borrowers deemed to be most vulnerable to rising interest rates and just 13 had requested assistance.

☆ Oil drops as US rate hike concern, weak China data offset OPEC+ cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Fed, which meets on May 2-3, is expected to increase interest rates by another 25 basis points. The U.S. dollar rose against a basket of currencies on Monday, making oil more expensive for other currency holders. Weak economic data from China also weighed. "We believe the oil market will be in deficit through the remainder of the second quarter" following the OPEC+ cuts, said NAB's Moore, who added that the bank expected the curbs plus higher demand to drive prices higher. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil prices drop as US rate hike fears, weak China data offset supply cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Fed is expected to increase interest rates by another 25 basis points this week. The U.S. central bank has raised its policy rate by 475 basis points since March of last year from the near-zero level to the current 4.75%-5.00% range. In the week ahead, the Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to extend a rate hike pause on Tuesday and the European Central Bank could surprise with an outsized half-point increase on Thursday. Brent crude has been tracking broader markets in recent sessions, with a slew of economic data creating more uncertainty about the outlook," ANZ Research said in a client note. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollar set for longest stretch of weekly losses since 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar index , which measures the performance of the U.S. currency against six others, slid to a roughly one-year low of 100.78. This would mark a fifth straight weekly loss, the longest such stretch since July 2020. Out of the G10 currencies, investors hold the largest bearish position in the dollar against the euro. The New Zealand dollar rose 0.1% to $0.63035, after jumping 1.3% on Thursday. The Japanese yen rose marginally, leaving the dollar 0.2% down on the day at 132.27, while the offshore yuan rose 0.4% to 6.8463 per dollar.

☆ Yen drops, dollar on defensive as central banks seek to reassure markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Currency markets showed some cautious optimism after global authorities moved to stem contagion from a simmering banking crisis, with the safe haven dollar on the back foot and the yen tumbling amid a rebound in Treasury yields. The risk-sensitive Australian dollar jumped to a two-week high, while the euro edged higher for a third straight day. Over the weekend, the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, Bank of Canada and Bank of Japan announced joint action to enhance market liquidity. The Australian dollar climbed 0.3% to $0.6721, and earlier touched $0.6743 for the first time since March 7. Although the banking system is the currency markets' most immediate focus, a Fed rate-setting meeting on Wednesday looms large.

☆ Australia business activity strong in Feb, even as confidence wanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 14 (Reuters) - Australian business conditions remained resilient in February with sales and employment strong, even as confidence took a turn for the worse amid high inflation and rising interest rates. The survey from National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) (NAB.AX) released on Tuesday showed its index of business conditions dipped one point to +17 in January, still well above its long-run average. The survey was conducted from Feb. 20 to 28, so it missed the recent chaos in financial markets after Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. Conditions were generally upbeat with the survey's measure of sales at a very high +27 in February, supported by historically low unemployment and rapid population growth. The survey's measure of labour costs ticked up to a quarterly rate of 2.8%, but retail price growth eased to 1.9%.

☆ Dollar on the front foot after robust U.S. jobs data, yen falters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The yen weakened to a three-week low of 132.60 per dollar after the report, and was last fetching 132.35, down 0.88%. Tapas Strickland, head of market economics at National Australia Bank, said Amamiya dovish policy credentials are raising uncertainty about BOJ's eventual exit from its ultra-easy monetary stance. The BOJ's loose policy settings have attracted increasing criticism from many quarters, including opposition politicians and traders, for distorting market function. But he also said in July the BOJ must "always" think about the means of exiting ultra-loose monetary policy. On Friday, the U.S. Labor Department's closely watched employment report showed that nonfarm payrolls surged by 517,000 jobs last month.

☆ Dollar plunges as Fed says disinflation now in play
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar dived following Powell's remarks, and against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index fell to a fresh nine-month low of 100.80. Against the Japanese yen , the dollar fell 0.55% to 128.21. With the Fed out of the way, the stage is set for the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) to announce their rate decisions later on Thursday, where expectations are for a 50bp hike from each. "I don't think that's going to influence the messaging from the ECB, which I think is still going to be that (they've) got a lot to do," Attrill said. Markets are now expecting the Fed funds rate to peak just under 4.9% by June, compared with earlier expectations of a peak of just below 5%.

☆ Dollar cautiously firm ahead of busy central bank week
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The dollar firmed on Monday and distanced itself from an eight-month trough ahead of a slew of central bank meetings this week, including the Federal Reserve's, with traders keenly focused on guidance for the path of interest rate rises. The U.S. dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.03% to 101.92, edging away from last week's eight-month low of 101.50. Moves were subdued ahead of policy meetings from the Fed, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) later this week. "We will range trade a little bit as the market tries to assess how the central banks behave .... Elsewhere, the Aussie rose 0.11% to $0.71175, while the Japanese yen slipped marginally to 129.94 per dollar.

☆ Dollar stuck near nine-month low vs euro as yen bounces
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The dollar hovered near a nine-month low against the euro and surrendered recent gains against the yen on Tuesday, as traders weighed the risks of a U.S. recession against the outlook for Federal Reserve monetary policy. Euro zone data on Tuesday reinforced the view that the economy is surviving a winter of intense price pressures reasonably well, analysts said. "That's integral to our bearish U.S. dollar view, that the U.S. is not going to be the global growth leader." Elsewhere, the dollar fell 0.4% to 130.18 yen , breaking a two-day rally. Last week, the dollar fell as low as 127.215 yen, its weakest since May, before a Bank of Japan policy review as investors bet the BOJ would begin to end its stimulus programme.

☆ Australian Dec business conditions moderate, cost pressures ease - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Australian businesses conditions moderated for a third straight month in December, while price pressures began to ease, pointing to a likely peak in inflation, according to a business survey issued on Tuesday. The survey from National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) (NAB.AX) showed its index of business conditions had fallen 8 points to +12 in December, although it remained still well above its long-run average. The survey showed inflation easing across the board. The RBA's board will consider whether to raise its policy interest rate for a ninth time at its next meeting. That will still be below the forecast from the RBA for a peak inflation rate of around 8%.

☆ Yen tests seven-month high ahead of BOJ policy decision; dollar wobbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Japanese yen held near an over seven-month peak on Monday, as traders, in the lead up to the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision this week, ramped up bets that the central bank could make further tweaks to its yield control policy. The yen was last 0.1% lower at 128.01 per dollar, having surged to 127.46 per dollar on Friday, its highest since May last year. Markets have been pressing for the BOJ to shift away from its ultra-easy monetary policy, which on Friday caused the yield on Japan's benchmark 10-year government bonds to breach the central bank's new ceiling. With the BOJ due to announce its monetary policy decision on Wednesday, expectations are for further tweaks to its yield control policy or a full abandonment of it. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index fell 0.13% to 102.13, languishing near Friday's seven-month low of 101.97.

☆ Hawkish Fed rhetoric fails to lift dollar; Aussie jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yet, that failed to give a boost to the U.S. currency, which slid 1.4% against the Canadian dollar overnight. Sterling was last steady at $1.2062, after rising 0.76% against the dollar in the previous session, while the euro edged 0.19% higher to $1.0624, following a more than 0.5% overnight gain. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index fell 0.14% to 104.06, after slipping 0.5% on Wednesday. The Aussie was last steady at $0.6835, while the kiwi rose 0.11% to $0.6298, after gaining 0.7% in the previous session. "The Aussie dollar has obviously benefitted from the coal story," said NAB's Attrill, adding that most other commodity currencies were supported.

☆ German inflation surprise hits brakes on dollar's slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The euro nursed losses on Wednesday and has helped the dollar to make a strong start to 2023, after a surprise slowdown in German inflation rallied bunds and sent the common currency sliding. The euro fell 1% overnight, its sharpest drop in more than two months, and it hovered near three-week lows at $1.0550 early in the Asia session. Along with a nervous mood as U.S. stocks fell, the move gave the dollar a broader boost and stopped a rising yen in its tracks. The jump tapped the brakes on a three-month slide for the index. Headline German CPI fell to an annual 8.6% in December, from 10% the previous month, against expectations for 9.1%.

☆ Dollar holds firm as China's COVID-related worries weigh
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Harish Sridharan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The euro , which surged to a five-month peak of $1.0497 overnight, later reversed those gains following a rebound in the U.S. dollar. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index was marginally lower by 0.1% at 106.50, after rising 0.5% overnight. The greenback had extended gains after St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said overnight that the Fed needs to raise interest rates quite a bit further. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to hike rates by an additional 50 basis points when it meets on Dec. 13-14. The offshore yuan reversed some of its losses in the previous session and was about 0.4% higher at 7.2136 per dollar.

☆ Dollar holds firm as China's Covid-related worries weigh
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Dollar rises broadly, yuan slumps as China's COVID unrest rattles sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The dollar gained broadly on Monday as protests against COVID restrictions in China stoked uncertainty and dented sentiment, sending the yuan sliding and pushing nervous investors toward the safe-haven greenback. Against the offshore yuan , the dollar rose 0.76% in early Asia trade to 7.2456. The Aussie , which is often used as a liquid proxy for the yuan, fell 0.61% to $0.6714, while the kiwi slumped 0.5% to $0.6216. "Companies are currently facing weaker retail sales from a higher number of COVID cases and falling home prices from unfinished home projects." Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index was down 0.08% at 106.25, but off its recent three-month low of 105.30.

☆ Dollar steadies as China COVID fears linger
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China's capital warned on Monday that it was facing its most severe test of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a surge in COVID cases sparking fresh restriction measures. The offshore yuan traded 0.1% higher at 7.1665 per dollar in early Asia trade on Tuesday, after falling more than 0.7% overnight. The Japanese yen slumped more than 1% to the weaker side of 142 per dollar overnight and last traded 142.01. "It's more like a cork in the ocean, subject to risk aversion as well as movements in 10-year Treasury yields." "Fed comments remained in line with the recent slant of rhetoric," said economists at ING in a note.

☆ Dollar steadies as China Covid fears linger
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar pared some of its strong overnight gains on Tuesday after investors flocked to the safe-haven currency on nerves over China's Covid flare ups, though cautious risk sentiment kept the greenback in demand. China's capital warned on Monday that it was facing its most severe test of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a surge in Covid cases sparking fresh restriction measures. The offshore yuan traded 0.1% higher at 7.1665 per dollar in early Asia trade on Tuesday, after falling more than 0.7% overnight. The Japanese yen slumped more than 1% to the weaker side of 142 per dollar overnight and last traded 142.01. "It's more like a cork in the ocean, subject to risk aversion as well as movements in 10-year Treasury yields ."

☆ Dollar advances ahead of inflation data; cryptos crumble
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Rae Wee | Rocky Swift | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The dollar regained its footing on Thursday ahead of key U.S. inflation data due later in the day, while cryptocurrencies were fragile after a bailout deal for exchange FTX by its bigger rival Binance collapsed. The euro hobbled just above parity at $1.0016, some distance from its near-two-month high hit earlier in the week. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index was firm at 110.30, after rising nearly 0.8% overnight. Just a day earlier, crypto giant Binance had signed a nonbinding agreement to buy FTX's non-U.S. unit to help cover a "liquidity crunch". "I do think there's been a bit of contagion from what's been going on in crypto to the broader markets ....

☆ Australia's NAB beats cash profit estimates on lending growth, rising rates
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Sameer Manekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies FY cash earnings A$7.10 bln, up 8.3%Full-year total dividend of A$1.51/shareRise in home, business lending boost earningsNov 9 (Reuters) - National Australia Bank (NAB.AX), the country's second-largest lender, on Wednesday logged a better-than-expected annual cash profit helped by robust home and business lending growth and margins that were supported by rising interest rates. The lender warned that ongoing economic uncertainty, stemming from rising interest rates owing to soaring inflation, could challenge some customers, but was confident of standing strong on the back of strong employment and substantial home and business savings. However, rapidly rising interest rates and inflation could impact household budgets, dampening consumption and overall growth, Chief Executive Officer Ross McEwan said. "This outcome reflects continued execution of our strategy including targeted volume growth and a disciplined approach to managing costs while investing for growth," McEwan said. The Melbourne-based bank declared a final dividend of 78 Australian cents per share, compared with 67 Australian cents apiece last year.

☆ Dollar eyes weekly gain; sterling wobbles on lower rate bets, bleak outlook
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Rae Wee | Michael S. Derby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index fell 0.23% to 112.71, away from a near two-week peak of 113.15 hit overnight. Nonetheless, it was on track for a weekly gain of nearly 2% -- its largest since September. Fed rate futures now point to a terminal rate of about 5.15% by mid-2023, after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point this week. It was headed for a weekly loss of more than 3%, the largest since September's market turmoil triggered by an economic plan that alarmed investors. Reporting by Rae Wee; Editing by Kim Coghill and Ana Nicolaci da CostaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollar rides Treasury yields higher, yen flirts with key 150 level
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Japanese yen hit a fresh trough of 149.96 per dollar, its lowest since August 1990, and last bought 149.92. "Given that Treasury yields have moved decisively above 4%, were it not for the threat of intervention then I think dollar/yen would already be trading north of 150." The benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.154%, its highest level since mid-2008, while the two-year Treasury yields touched a 15-year high of 4.582%. It bottomed at 7.2794 per dollar, the lowest level since such data first became available in 2011, and last traded 7.2615. It had hit an almost two-week high of $0.5719 on Tuesday, following release of a hot inflation data, prompting bets of a more aggressive central bank rate hike.

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