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| As on Apr 19, 2018 12:00 AM |
Your results on : Currency News |
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| UK retail sales, including auto fuel, dropped 1.2 percent month-on-month in March, in contrast to a 0.8 percent rise in February, the Office for National Statistics showed Thursday. Sales were forecast to fall 0.6 percent. Similarly, excluding auto fuel, retail sales volume dropped 0.5 percent reversing a 0.4 percent rise in February. On a yearly basis, overall retail sales volume growth eased to 1.1 percent in March from 1.5 percent a month ago. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| The International Monetary Fund, in the Global Financial Stability Report, said the short-term financial stability risks have increased somewhat against the backdrop of slightly tighter financial conditions. The medium-term risks are still elevated as financial vulnerabilities, which have built up during the years of accommodative policies, could mean a bumpy road ahead and put growth at risk, the fund added. Although emerging markets have generally improved fundamentals, it could be vulnerable to sudden tightening of global financial conditions. The Washington-based lender cautioned that policymakers and investors should remain attuned to the risks of rising interest rates and higher market volatility. Powered by Commodity Insights |
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the short-term financial stability risks have increased somewhat against the backdrop of slightly tighter financial conditions. In the Global Financial Stability Report, the lender said the medium-term risks are still elevated as financial vulnerabilities, which have built up during the years of accommodative policies, could mean a bumpy road ahead and put growth at risk. Although emerging markets have generally improved fundamentals, they could be vulnerable to sudden tightening of global financial conditions. The IMF cautioned that policymakers and investors should remain attuned to the risks of rising interest rates and higher market volatility. The IMF advised central banks to continue to normalize policy gradually and communicate clearly, and policymakers should address vulnerabilities by deploying and developing macroprudential tools. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| New Zealand consumer prices gained 0.5 percent on quarter in the first three months of 2018, Statistics New Zealand said on Thursday, up from the 0.1 percent increase in the three months prior. On a yearly basis, consumer prices climbed 1.1 percent, down from 1.6 percent in the first quarter. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| Australia jobless rate came in at a seasonally adjusted 5.5 percent in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday, unchanged from the February reading following a downward revision from 5.6 percent. The Australian economy added 4.900 jobs last month to 12,484,100 following the increase of 17,500 in the previous month. Full-time employment decreased 19,900 to 8,514,100 and part-time employment increased 24,800 to 3,970,000. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| US Business owners are getting nervous about a possible trade war with China, according to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book. Outlooks remained positive, but contacts in various sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation expressed concern about the newly imposed and/or proposed tariffs, the Beige Book noted. Economic activity continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace across the 12 Federal Reserve Districts in March and early April. Widespread employment growth continued, but many respondents noted difficulty finding qualified candidates across a broad array of industries and skill levels. Reports of labor shortages over the reporting period were most often cited in high-skill positions. Looking at inflation, prices increased across all Districts, generally at a moderate pace, and businesses expect prices will continue to rise in the coming months. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| UK consumer prices climbed 2.5 percent year-on-year in March, slower than the 2.7 percent increase posted in February, the Office for National Statistics showed Wednesday. Inflation was forecast to remain unchanged at 2.7 percent. This was the weakest rate since March 2017, when prices gained 2.3 percent. Month-on-month, consumer prices edged up 0.1 percent in March, slower than the expected 0.3 percent. Core inflation that excludes energy, food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, slowed to 2.3 percent from 2.4 percent a month ago. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| Eurozone construction output declined 0.5 percent month-on-month, slower than the 0.8 percent decrease in January, Eurostat reported Wednesday. The decline was caused by a 1.7 percent fall in civil engineering, while building gained 0.1 percent. On a yearly basis, growth in construction output eased sharply in February, to 0.4 percent from 6.9 percent in January. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| UK house price inflation moderated for the second successive month in February, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed Wednesday. The house price index climbed 4.4 percent year-over-year in February, slower than the 4.7 percent rise in January, which was revised down from a 4.9 percent increase reported earlier. The average UK house price was GBP 225,000 in February, which was GBP 9,000 higher than in the same month of the prior year, while broadly unchanged from last month. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| Europe's passenger car sales dropped in March, witnessing the first March drop since 2014, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association reported Wednesday. Car sales slipped 5.3% year-on-year to 1.79 million units in March. However, the agency noted that last year's sales figure was biggest on record for March constituting a high basis of comparison. Sales had increased 4.3% in February and 7.1% in January. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| The US Federal Reserve released a report on Tuesday showing a steady increase in US industrial production in the month of March. The report said industrial production edged up by 0.5% in March after surging up by a revised 1% in February. The increase in production was partly due to the rebound in utilities output, which spiked by 3% in March after crashing by 5% percent in February amid warmer-than-normal temperatures. Mining output also spurt 1% in March after soaring by 2.9%in February. The Fed said manufacturing output inched up by just 0.1% in March following the 1.5% gain seen in the previous month. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| Japan posted a merchandise trade surplus of 797.3 billion yen in March, up 32.1 percent on year, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday and was up sharply from 3.4 billion yen in February. Exports were up 2.1 percent on year to 7.381 trillion yen, up from the 1.8 percent gain in the previous month. Imports dipped 0.6 percent on year to 6.584 trillion yen after surging 16.5 percent a month earlier. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| UK ILO jobless rate came in at 4.2 percent in three months to February, which was below the 4.3 percent logged in three months to January, data from the Office for National Statistics showed Tuesday. This was the lowest rate since comparable data began in 1971. At the same time, the employment rate was 75.4 percent, the highest since 1971. The number of unemployed decreased by 136,000 annually to 1.42 million and employment increased by 427,000 to 32.26 million. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| German economic confidence dropped to -8.2 in April from +5.1 in March, survey data from the Mannheim-based think tank ZEW showed Tuesday. The score was forecast to fall to -1. The current conditions index fell by 2.8 points to 87.9 in April, versus expected score of 88. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| Likely reflecting winter weather effects, the National Association of Home Builders released a report on Monday unexpectedly showing a modest drop in US homebuilder confidence in the month of April. The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index edged down to 69 in April from 70 in March. The decrease by the headline index was partly due to a decrease by the component gauging current sales conditions, which fell to 75 in April from 77 in March. The component measuring sales expectations in the next six months also dipped to 77 in April from 78 in March, while the component gauging buyer traffic held steady at 51. Powered by Commodity Insights |
The Chinese economy saw a solid start to the year with a 6.8-percent growth in the first quarter, official data showed Tuesday. GDP reached 19.88 trillion yuan (about 3.2 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of 2018, up 6.8 percent year on year at comparable prices, unchanged from the growth rate in the previous quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The economy is off to a good start, NBS spokesperson Xing Zhihong, noting sound momentum in development, steady progress in upgrading, and improved quality and efficiency of the economy. The GDP growth rate has stayed within the range of 6.7 percent to 6.9 percent for 11 quarters, with the jobless rate and inflation remaining stable, he said. The country's foreign trade has become more balanced since the start of this year, with import growth outpacing exports and the trade surplus narrowing, according to Xing. China's economy expanded 6.9 percent in 2017, picking up pace for the first time in seven years. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| China's gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 1.4 percent on quarter in the first quarter of 2018, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday, down from 1.6 percent in the three months prior. On a yearly basis, GDP was up 6.8 percent, down from 6.9 percent in the previous quarter. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| German wholesale prices grew 1.2 percent year-on-year in March, the same pace of increase as seen in February, Destatis reported Monday. The biggest influence on overall prices came from the wholesale of ores, metals and semi-finished metal products, which gained 3.4 percent. On a monthly basis, wholesale prices remained flat after easing 0.3 percent in February. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| Manufacturing employment in Germany increased in February, Destatis reported Monday. In local manufacturing units with 50 or more persons employed, employment totaled 5.6 million at the end of February. This represented an increase of about 147,000 or 2.7 percent from last February. The number of hours worked in February rose 1.4 percent annually to 703 million. At the same time, earnings climbed 4.2 percent to EUR 22.1 billion. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| The annual wholesale price inflation (WPI) slipped to 2.47% (provisional) for the month of March, 2018 (over March, 2017) as compared to 2.48% (provisional) for the previous month and 5.11% during the corresponding month of the previous year. Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 2.47% compared to a build up rate of 5.11% in the corresponding period of the previous year. The index for Primary Articles declined by 0.5% to 127.4 (provisional) from 128 (provisional) for the previous month. The index for 'Food Articles' group declined by 0.4% to 137.2 (provisional) from 137.8 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of egg (5%), gram, tea, coffee, poultry chicken and condiments & spices (3% each), rajma (2%) and fish-inland, masur, bajra, fruits & vegetables and beef and buffalo meat (1% each). However, the price of ragi (3%), jowar and fish-marine (2% each) and peas/chawali, moong, betel leaves, wheat, paddy and pork (1% each) moved up. The index for Fuel & Power declined by 0.1% to 98.0 (provisional) from 98.1 (provisional) for the previous month. The index for Manufactured Products rose by 0.4% to 115.7 (provisional) from 115.2 (provisional) for the previous month. The rate of inflation based on WPI Food Index consisting of 'Food Articles' from Primary Articles group and 'Food Product' from Manufactured Products group decreased from 0.07% in February, 2018 to (-) 0.07% in March, 2018. Powered by Commodity Insights |
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