Economic News

LONDON (AFX) - European government bonds started the week largely unchanged as trading begins to slow down ahead of the holidays. Bonds were given a boost Friday after US inflation came in below expectations, with the consumer price index showing no change for the third month in a row against expectations of a 0.2 pct rise. The data bolstered views that the the US economy is slowing and that the ...

NEW YORK (AFX) - Wall Street will be awaiting fresh data on inflation and corporate earnings in the coming week as it looks to ride its fourth-quarter gains through the end of the year. Recent findings indicating inflation remains in check have lent support to the markets and, along with strong corporate profits, has helped drive stocks higher. This week brings data on inflation at the wholesale ...

LONDON (AFX) - The dollar started the week on a solid note as Friday's weaker-than-expected US inflation data were not enough to dislodge market expectations that US interest rates will not be cut early next year. The dollar initially sold off sharply following Friday's CPI numbers, but these losses were not sustained and the euro fell well below the 1.31 usd mark to a three-week low of 1.3066 us ...

PARIS (AFX) - European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet defended the ECB against attacks by French politicians, saying that it has a mandate from governments and voters which guarantees its independence from political interference. "We are independent because it has been decided by our political democracies. As you know the ECB is an apolitical institution working for the sake of a ...

TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) - Japanese government bond prices closed the day broadly lower in cautious trading, with investors pocketing profits on recent gains ahead of tomorrow's speech by Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui at the end of the BoJ's two-day policy meeting, dealers said. Investors also took a wait-and-see stance ahead of the auction tomorrow of 20-year government bonds, they said. The y ...

SYDNEY (XFN-ASIA) - The US dollar was higher against the yen here, but softer against the euro as range trading continues ahead of tonight's US current account deficit announcement for the September quarter, as well as the latest NAHB housing market indicator, dealers said. At 1:54 pm here (0254 GMT), the dollar was at 118.05 yen, firmer from 118.01 in Sydney morning trade while the euro was at 1 ...

SYDNEY (XFN-ASIA) - The US dollar was lower against the yen and euro here following a tame US November inflation report released on Friday, but stronger net capital inflows data for the month of October has helped limit the downside, dealers said. They said the wide trading ranges are likely to persist ahead of Thursday's September quarter PCE deflator, the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of  ...