Aussie Dollar Touches Three-Week High on Final Day of 2015
December 31, 2015
Many stock exchanges were closed for the yearend holiday, for instance those in Japan, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Singapore.
Share prices fell 0.9% in China and Spain and 0.3% in France but firmed 0.7% in Taiwan, 0.3% in Hong Kong, 0.2% in India and 0.1% in the U.K..
West Texas Intermediate oil rebounded 0.4% to $36.74 per barrel. Comex gold edged 0.1% higher to $1,062.01 per ounce.
The U.S. dollar slid 0.4% against the Australian dollar and touched a 3-week high of USD 0.7329. The greenback also lost 0.2% relative to the kiwi and yen but firmed 0.2% versus the Swiss franc and 0.1% vis-a-vis the yuan and loonie. EUR/USD is unchanged.
The ten-year British gilt yield dipped two basis points to 1.97%.
Russia’s composite purchasing managers index fell 2.7 points to a nine-month low of 47.8, indicating an overall contraction of the economy. The service-sector PMI fell back 2.0 points to a 2-month low of 47.8.
Private-sector credit in Australia grew 6.6% in November, a tad less than the 6.7% on-year pace in October. M3 expansion accelerated to 8.6%.
South African private credit and M3 money respectively recorded on-year growth in November of 9.5% and 9.35%.
The Chinese current account surplus in the third quarter was revised $3.1 billion lower to $60.3 billion. It’s quarterly average in the first half of this year was $74.3 billion.
Turkey posted a January-November trade deficit of $57 billion, 25% narrower than a year earlier.
South Korean CPI inflation accelerated to 1.3% this month from 1.0% in November. Core inflation of 2.8% was also somewhat higher.
Weekly U.S. jobless insurance claims and the monthly Chicago and Milwaukee PMI readings will be released later on the final day of 2015.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Copyright 2015, Larry Greenberg. All rights reserved. No secondary distribution without express permission.
Tags: Australian dollar, foreign exchange, Russian purchasing managers index
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