|
Prev
Next
|
|
| As on Apr 16, 2021 12:00 AM |
Your results on : Currency News |
|
|
Eurozone consumer prices accelerated to 1.3 percent in March from 0.9 percent in February, final data from Eurostat showed on Friday. This was the third consecutive rise in prices. Meanwhile, core inflation that excludes energy, food, alcohol & tobacco, eased to 0.9 percent from 1.1 percent in February. On a monthly basis, the harmonized index of consumer prices was up 0.9 percent as estimated. Powered by Commodity Insights |
Euro area trade surplus declined to a seasonally adjusted EUR 18.4 billion in February from EUR 28.7 billion in January, as exports decreased amid rising imports, Eurostat reported Friday. Exports decreased 2.5 percent month-on-month, while imports were up 3.4 percent in February. On a yearly basis, exports and imports dropped 5.5 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively. The trade surplus totaled EUR 17.7 billion, down from EUR 23.4 billion in the same period last year. During January to February, euro area exports of goods to the rest of the world fell 7.2 percent from the same period last year. Likewise, imports fell 8.7 percent. As a result, the euro area recorded a surplus of EUR 28.7 billion, compared with EUR 25.0 billion in January to February 2020. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| Europe's new car registrations surged in March due to last year's extremely low base of comparison caused by the strict COVID-19 restrictions introduced in most markets in March 2020, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, said Friday. Registrations of new passenger cars increased 87.3% annually, in contrast to February's 19.3% tumble. About 1.06 million new cars were sold in the European Union in March compared to 567,253 during the same month in 2020. Powered by Commodity Insights |
US first-time claims for unemployment benefits pulled back by much more than anticipated in the week ended April 10th, falling to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic, a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims tumbled to 576,000, a decrease of 193,000 from the previous week's revised level of 769,000. With the much bigger than expected decrease, jobless claims dropped to their lowest level since hitting 256,000 in the week ended March 14, 2020. Powered by Commodity Insights |
US retail sales skyrocketed by 9.8 percent in March after tumbling by a revised 2.7 percent in February, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Thursday. The stronger than expected retail sales growth was partly due to a jump in sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, which soared by 15.1 percent in March after plunging by 3.5 percent in February. However, excluding the rebound in auto sales, retail sales still spiked by 8.4 percent in March after tumbling by a revised 2.5 percent in February. Ex-auto sales were expected to jump by 5.0 percent. Powered by Commodity Insights |
China's gross domestic product climbed 18.3 percent on year in the first quarter of 2021, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday, but was up sharply from the 6.5 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2020. Powered by Commodity Insights |
US industrial production jumped by 1.4 percent in March after plunging by a downwardly revised 2.6 percent in February, the Federal Reserve reported on Thursday. The increase in industrial production came as manufacturing output surged up by 2.7 percent in March after tumbling by 3.7 percent in February, while mining output soared by 5.7 percent after plummeting by 5.6 percent. Meanwhile, the report showed an 11.4 percent nosedive in utilities output in March following a 9.2 percent spike in February, as the demand for heating fell because of a swing in temperatures. The Fed also said capacity utilization for the industrial sector rose to 74.4 percent in March from a downwardly revised 73.4 in February. Powered by Commodity Insights |
US NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index inched up to 83 in April after dipping to 82 in March, the National Association of Home Builders reported on Thursday. The NAHB noted the uptick in homebuilder confidence came even as builders continued to grapple with rising lumber prices and supply chain issues and consumers faced higher home prices due to a lack inventory. The modest increase by the housing market index came as the gauge charting traffic of prospective buyers climbed to 75 in April from 72 in March. The index gauging current sales conditions also crept up to 88 in April from 87 in March, while the component measuring sales expectations in the next six months fell to 81 from 83. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated yesterday that Europe's economy should rebound this year but recovery across the region remains uneven. In its Regional Economic Outlook for Europe, the IMF forecasts that growth this year will be 4.5%. This is slightly less - 0.2% - than its forecast made in October last year. The fund expects growth of 3.9% in 2022. At the same time, policymakers need to continue providing emergency support to households and firms. And they need to prepare measures to stimulate hiring and investment once the pandemic is under control. Such measures will foster a quicker and fuller recovery. Powered by Commodity Insights |
Germany's consumer prices grew 1.7 percent year-on-year in March, in line with preliminary estimate, following a 1.3 percent rise in February, final data from the statistical office Destatis showed on Thursday. A similar higher rate was last reported in February 2020. Consumer prices increased for the third month in a row after the temporary reduction of the value added tax rates had ended. Prices of goods advanced 1.9 percent and that of services gained 1.6 percent in March. Food prices were up 1.6 percent and energy prices advanced 4.8 percent. Excluding energy, inflation was 1.4 percent in March. At the same time, harmonized inflation based on the EU measure climbed to 2 percent in March from 1.6 percent in February. This was the highest rate since April 2019, when prices moved up 2.1 percent. The annual rate came in line with the preliminary estimate released on March 30. Month-on-month, consumer prices and the harmonized index of consumer prices rose 0.5 percent each, as previously estimated. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| The US dollar index is broadly lower today amid sustained selling pressure as traders focused on a tepid US monetary policy outlook. FOMC Chairman Jerome Powell delivered a speech at a virtual event organized by the Economic Club of Washington and noted that the Fed is seeking inflation that is moderately above 2% for some time. He stated that the central bank will begin to slow the pace of its bond purchases well before raising interest rates. The dollar index extended losses following the comments and fell to a one month low near 91.50. The index currently quotes at 91.64, down marginally on the day. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| The unemployment rate in Australia was a seasonally adjusted 5.6% in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday. This was down from 5.8% in February. The Australian economy added 70700 jobs last month to 13,077,600 following the increase of 88,700 jobs in February. Full-time employment saw a decline of 20,800 jobs to 8,874,200 people following the addition of 89,100 jobs a month earlier. Part-time employment rose by 91,500 to 4,203,400 people following the loss of 500 jobs in February. Over the year to March, employment increased by 74,300 people of 0.6%. Powered by Commodity Insights |
The Beige Book, a compilation of anecdotal evidence on economic conditions in each of the twelve Fed districts, highlighted improvement in a variety of areas, including consumer spending, auto sales and manufacturing activity. US economic activity accelerated to a moderate pace from late February to early April, according to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book. The Fed also noted reports on tourism were more upbeat, bolstered by a pickup in demand for leisure activities and travel. The report also said job growth picked up over the reporting period, with most districts noting modest to moderate increases in employment. The Fed said job growth was generally strongest in manufacturing, construction, and leisure and hospitality, although hiring remained a widespread challenge. The Beige Book said overall prices also accelerated slightly since the last report, with many districts reporting moderate price increases and some saying prices rose more robustly. Looking ahead, the Fed said outlooks were more optimistic than in the previous report, boosted in part by an acceleration in COVID-19 vaccinations. Powered by Commodity Insights |
Japan value of core machine orders plunged a seasonally adjusted 8.5 percent on month in February, coming in at 769.8 billion yen, the Cabinet Office said on Wednesday, following the 4.5 percent decline in January. On a yearly basis, core machine orders sank 7.1 percent, following the 1.5 percent gain in the previous month. Powered by Commodity Insights |
Australia consumer confidence spiked in April, the latest survey from Wetspac Bank and the Melbourne Institute revealed on Wednesday, jumping 6.2 percent on month to a reading of 118.8. That's the highest reading for the index since August 2010. Powered by Commodity Insights |
German Indicator of Economic Sentiment fell 5.9 points to 70.7 points in April, survey results from the ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research showed on Tuesday. This was the first time that the indicator has experienced a drop since November 2020. Meanwhile, the assessment of the economic situation advanced 12.2 points to minus 48.8 points in April. The expected reading was minus 53.0. Economic confidence in the euro area also weakened in April. The corresponding index declined 7.7 points to 66.3. By contrast, the indicator for the current economic situation climbed 4.3 points to a level of minus 65.5 points. Powered by Commodity Insights |
Germany's wholesale price index rose 4.4 percent year-on-year in March, which was the fastest pace since March 2017, when they increased 4.8 percent, data from Destatis showed Tuesday. The wholesale prices grew 2.3 percent in February and were unchanged in January. Prices for petroleum product jumped 13.7 percent from a year ago. Strong price increases were also seen for wholesale trade for scrap and residual materials, for ores, metals and semi-finished metal products, and for grain, raw tobacco, seeds and animal feed. Meanwhile, live animals, meat and meat products as well as data processing equipment, peripheral devices and software were cheaper. On a month-on-month basis, the wholesale prices rose 1.7 percent following a 1.4 percent increase in February. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| The UK economy contracted at a slower pace in February, the Office for National Statistics reported Tuesday. Gross domestic product dropped 0.4%, following a revised 2.2% fall in January. February's GDP was 7.8% below the levels seen in February 2020. The manufacturing output rose by 1.3%, marking the first increase since November 2020. Powered by Commodity Insights |
| China's customs office data showed today that exports increased 30.6% year-on-year in March. This showed a softening from a 60.6% surge seen in January to February period which was propelled largely by a lower base annually. China's imports rose 38.1% in March on annual basis. The country's trade surplus fell to $13.8 billion. China's overall foreign trade volume surged by a 29.2% year-on-year to reach 8.47 trillion yuan in the first quarter of 2021. China's exports with the US recorded a 61.3% growth in the first quarter to 1.08 trillion yuan, the fastest growth among all trading partners. Powered by Commodity Insights |
India's consumer price index rose 5.52 percent year-on-year in March following a 5.03 percent increase in February, preliminary data from the statistical office showed Monday. The consumer food price index climbed 4.94 percent year-on-year after a 3.87 percent rise in the previous month. Food and beverages prices rose 5.24 percent annually and those of clothing and footwear grew 4.41 percent. The cost of housing increased 3.50 percent and that of fuel and light grew 4.50 percent. Compared to the previous month, the CPI rose 0.13 percent, while the CFPI decreased 0.26 percent in March. Powered by Commodity Insights |
|
|