Australian bonds gain as private capital spending drag on growth
May 26, 2016 05:06 am UTC| Commentary
The Australian bonds gained on Thursday after data showed weaker than expected private capital expenditure figure, which inserted pressure on the pace of economic growth in the first quarter. On the other hand, investors...
Japan's economy has improved after BOJ began QQE: BoJ's Kuroda
May 25, 2016 15:43 pm UTC| Commentary
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Wednesday that Japans economy has improved after BOJ began QQE easing, low bond yields reflect impact of BOJ easing. Kuroda said that Japan continued to recover moderately. At...
German Ifo index improves more than expected in May
May 25, 2016 14:56 pm UTC| Commentary
Closely watched German Ifo index, which tracks the countrys business executives assessment of the current business climate, rose to 107.7 in May, up from 106.7 in the previous month. This was the strongest reading since...
Construction likely to be a drag on Australia's GDP in 2016
May 25, 2016 14:12 pm UTC| Commentary
Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday that the amount of total construction work fell 2.6 per cent in the first quarter, missing expectations of a 1.5 per cent drop. The disappointingly large drop in construction...
U.S. new-home sales posted their strongest monthly rise in more than eight years
May 25, 2016 13:59 pm UTC| Commentary
Purchases of new, single-family homes in the U.S. was up 16.6% in April from a month earlier beating consensus for a 2.4% rise. U.S. new-home sales posted their strongest month in over eight years while prices jumped to a...
NZ trade surplus beats expectations supported by stronger export values
May 25, 2016 13:36 pm UTC| Commentary
Data released earlier today showed that New Zealand posted a trade surplus of $292 million in April, more than the $60 million expected in a Reuters poll and up from $184 million a year earlier. The stronger-than-expected...

Currency snapshot (major pairs)
May 25, 2016 13:04 pm UTC| Commentary
Dollar index trading at 95.49 (-0.13%) Strength meter (today so far) Euro +0.08%, Franc +0.13%, Yen -0.13%, GBP +0.57% Strength meter (since last week) Euro -0.68%, Franc -0.18%, Yen -0.37%, GBP +1.36% EUR/USD...