The Australian dollar managed to gain versus

lower-yielding currencies before a report to be released this week in the country is likely to show an advance in inflation in the last year’s last quarter, helping speculations that a series of interest rates in the country will restart.

The Aussie rebounded after losing versus most of lower-yielding currencies last week as risk aversion remained predominant in majority of trading hours. Investors in the South Pacific region are waiting an inflation report to be released on Jan 27th expecting positive numbers as forecasts suggest an advance for the country’s prices in the last quarter of 2009, which would provide grounds for a new series of interest rate hikes by Australian policy makers.

AUD/USD traded at 0.9053 as of 00:09 GMT from a previous rate 0.9034 when markets opened Sunday evening.

If you want to comment on the Australian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Canadian dollar ranked among the worst performers in currency markets today as risk aversion influenced commodities and equities trading, which are strongly related to the loonie’s rates as weak economic data in the country also influenced the confidence towards Canada’s currency.

Speculations that interest rates hikes would happen anytime soon in Canada faded further away as consumer prices retreated according to a report published today, which forced the loonie down in a day were demand for raw materials declined, affecting the outlook for the Canadian economy as half of the country’s exports are commodities. The U.S. dollar advanced sharply versus its Canadian counterpart ask risk aversion brought traders to purchase safer assets in the world’s wealthiest nation, pushing the loonie away from parity with the greenback this Wednesday in foreign-exchange markets.

A considerable amount of strength in the loonie’s rally since the beginning of the year was based on the fact that a fast paced recovery would improve odds of interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada, which has not been confirmed or signaled by the Canadian financial authorities so far, decreasing attractiveness for the loonie. Today, the commodities market was also bearish, affecting demand for Canadian raw materials and causing a double impact on the loonie rates.

USD/CAD traded at 1.0472 as of 19:23 GMT from a previous rate of 1.0314 yesterday. CAD/JPY traded at 87.06 from 88.39.

If you want to comment on the Canadian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Canadian dollar fell today after the nation’s central bank left interest rates unchanged at an all time record low, declining rate hikes speculations despite the favorable economic data published in Canada during the past few weeks.

The loonie dropped versus most of the 16 most traded currencies today after the central bank affirmed that interest rates will remain unchanged until June, decreasing sharply the attractiveness for the loonie as traders expected the good performance of the Canadian economy to produce more immediate results in terms of interest rate hikes. The Bank of Canada also made a statement against the loonie’s strength, which, according to its officials, is a threat to the economic growth in the North American nation, forcing the loonie down specially versus its a stronger greenback that advanced versus all of the 16 main traded currencies.

The lack of a hawkish tone in Canada’s central bank declarations affected the outlook for the loonie, which have been gaining on speculations that stronger economic conditions in the country would allow the BOC to raise interest rates sooner than expected, but its dovish position and against a strong loonie will certainly be an obstacle for loonie’s further advances.

USD/CAD traded at 1.0320 as of 15:28 GMT from a previous rate of 1.0255 in the intraday comparison. CAD/JPY traded at 88.24 from 88.45.

If you want to comment on the Canadian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

Once again interest rates are fueling a rally for the Aussie dollar as it happened in the second half of the last year, when the South Pacific currency ranked among the best performing options in

foreign-exchange markets.

Positive employment data published in Australia this Wednesday is helping the Aussie to rally to high levels versus most of the main traded currencies, as a declining unemployment rate, currently at 5.5 percent and much better than other key-economic regions in the world, is fueling speculations that interest rates will be once again hiked in the country next month.

AUD/USD traded at 0.9315 as of 00:11 GMT from a previous intraday rate of 0.9241.

If you want to comment on the Australian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The dollar had a mediocre performance today losing versus a considerable number of currencies after the nation’s central bank was not so optimistic regarding the U.S. economy recovery, declining appeal for the greenback.

The dollar posted a disappointing performance in a day were equities and commodities markets increased appeal for higher-yielding currencies. The British pound posted another advance versus the greenback as Bank of England’s policy markers signaled that interest rates in the U.K. are due to be hiked at some point this year. The Federal Reserve stated that a modest economic recovery is taking place in the U.S., fact which traders interpret as a delay in forecasts of interest rate raises, which is certainly declining the attractiveness that fueled a dollar rally versus most of the main traded currencies in December.

As speculations of immediate rate hikes fade away in the U.S., the greenback rates will be more determined by the pace of recovery in the country compared to other economic regions throughout the world, specially in Europe and Asia, where the main U.S. trading partners are located.

EUR/USD traded at 1.4506 as of 20:57 GMT from a previous intraday rate of 1.4480 yesterday, in a session of high volatility for the currency pair. GBP/USD trded at 1.6286 from 1.6171.

If you want to comment on the U.S. dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Canadian dollar profited from a higher risk appetite session today and rebounded versus the yen and its U.S. counterpart as equities rose in North America, allowing the correlated loonie to profit from this trading scenario.

After two days losing in currency markets as concerns that the Canadian economic recovery is not as robust as analysts suggested, the loonie rebounded today, profiting from a positive performance of stocks and commodities, which have an extreme influence in the Canadian currency rates as raw materials exports are responsible for a big cut on the country’s international trade. The Canadian dollar also benefited from a less attractive U.S. dollar, which has been losing its appeal as the nation published several reports which featured data below forecasts, suggesting that interest rates will be not hiked so soon in the world’s wealthiest nation.

Demand for commodities is still playing a major role to back the loonie’s advance, as Canada’s economy, and consequently its currency, will rely on the global economic recovery in the first half of 2010 to determine whether demand for the nation’s raw materials will allow the country to recover steadily or not.

USD/CAD traded at 1.0304 as of 19:42 GMT from a previous rate of 1.0385 in the intraday. CAD/JPY rose to 88.60 from 87.52.

If you want to comment on the Canadian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Swiss currency had its previous week rally versus currencies like the pound and the euro halted today after the national central bank took a position against further advances of the franc, as the current appreciation was considered excessive by SNB officials.

After a rally that lasted during most of the past week trading session, the Swiss National Bank President Philipp Hildebrand stated today that the franc’s fluctuations will be monitored closely, also signaling that policy makers will attempt to prevent further gains for the its currency, as current levels, specially versus the euro, are considered too high. The Swiss franc also advanced considerably last week versus the greenback, as bets that interest rates will be raised in the U.S. declined after negative data was released.

Most of the franc’s advance during the past month were based on speculations that the SNB authorities would take a rather passive policy regarding the currency’s fluctuations, but after today’s affirmations, it’s likely that the Swiss currency will experience a considerable decline, or at least, a rather neutral trend as fears for interventions will certainly count on trader’s sentiment towards the Swiss franc.

EUR/CHF currently trades at 1.4752, 15:52 GMT, from as 1.4722 when markets opened yesterday. GBP/CHF also climbed to 1.6391 from 1.6310.

If you want to comment on the Swiss franc’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The United Kingdom has been showing itself as one of the least resilient nations among the wealthiest countries in the world, and its weak economic data combined with a ineffective monetary policy is likely to set the sterling further down in the first semester of 2010, specially versus

higher-yielding options

Bank of England policy makers insisted to extend its so far frustrated bond purchase strategy, injecting its remaining 200 billion pounds on the program, as interest rates remain at an all-time record low of 0.50 percent, maintaining the pound’s outlook negative, specially as the traders started the year with high levels of risk appetite. Commodities linked currencies like the Australian and the Canadian dollar are likely to rally further versus the pound this year, and demand for energy is likely to favor these oil producer’s currencies, specially for Canada’s currency, as the winter in the Northern Hemisphere has been one of severest in the past year, increasing demand for energy in the United States.

This week will be marked by a monthly manufacturing production report in the U.K., which has provided mixed data in the past months, but nevertheless, as analysts aren’t very optimistic regarding British economic growth in the first quarter of 2010, the pound has considerable odds to lose further versus the currencies above mentioned.

GBP/CAD started this week trading at 1.6495 from as high as 1.6850 one week ago.

If you want to comment on the Great Britain pound’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The kiwi dollar struggled on Friday enabling the pound to jump 1.4%, briefly nearing the 2.30 level, as risk appetite in the market waned.

• Higher-risk currencies struggled to make headway at the end of last week as the rally in global equities in the wake of the positive US GDP data came to an abrupt halt.
• As global stocks fell, investors sought shelter in the haven currencies fuelling a sell-off in the higher-yielding kiwi dollar, buoying the sterling price.
• In trading this morning, the New Zealand dollar has pulled back from six-week lows against the pound, with profit taking in high-yield currencies taking a pause.
• Support has also come from improved manufacturing data in China, a key importer of New Zealand goods, which has outweighed some of the negative sentiment toward the currency.
• Analysts have noted though that reduced support for a rise in interest rates and lower risk appetite may prevent the kiwi from regaining its strong valuation.

Better-than-expected GDP figures in the US caused risk appetite to surge across the board enabling the kiwi to post gains of over a cent against the pound.

• The solid GDP figure in the US renewed optimism about recovery in the global economy, prompting investors to buy higher-yielding currencies.
• The kiwi, which has suffered recently on a rise in risk aversion, was able to reverse losses as the positive data encouraged investors to buy up riskier assets.
• However, in trading this morning, the pound is recouping losses, pushing the price back near 2.27 as market participants return their thoughts to the RBNZ’s rate statement on Wednesday where they indicated that interest rates would not be raised for some time.

The kiwi dollar came under pressure yesterday following dovish comments from the PM, enabling the pound climb two and a half cents, closing at 2.1845.

• The kiwi dollar underperformed after the country’s Prime Minister John Key said New Zealand is concerned over the strength of its currency, but has few tools at its disposal to deal with it.
• The statement concerned investors as it lessened the chance of the RBNZ raising interest rates in the near future as some traders were expecting.
• In trading this morning the pair are trading steadily around last night’s closing price, with investors now turning their focus the NZ interest rate decision on Wednesday evening.
• Although rates are likely to hold, the accompanying statement will give policymakers a chance to elaborate on comments made about the relative strength of their currency and enable investors to gauge possible rate movements in the future.

Dollar selling in the market was stepped up with investors moving into the pound as the MPC minutes proved more positive than expected.

• The pound climbed over 1.66, posting a two and half cent gain against the dollar as the minutes from the Bank of England’s October monetary policy meeting struck a less dovish tone than recent comments suggested.
• Analysts said the most important story within the release was the fact that in the September meeting, governor Mervyn King thought an expansion of the central bank’s quantitative easing programme could be justified. But there was no mention of that in this latest meeting.
• Additionally, the pound was given further support after Mr King said in an opinion piece in Scotland’s Herald newspaper that, “it would be wise to take account” of the prospect of higher interest rates, heightening confidence in the UK economy.
• The dollar is up slightly in morning trading as a raft of Chinese data, though positive, failed to offer any major surprises, gaining in line with market expectations.

The kiwi advanced over three and a half cents (1.6%) against the pound yesterday as investors showed renewed enthusiasm for risky assets.

• Rising commodity-prices and stronger-than-expected corporate earnings in the US have contributed to continued demand for higher-yielding currencies.
• In addition, investors are now pricing in that New Zealand’s central bank is likely to drop its monetary- easing bias at its meeting next week as economic data point to improvement.
• Although there has been speculation that the RBNZ has expressed concern that the strength of the kiwi is frustrating economic recovery, strong data has investors questioning whether the central bank can keep interest rates on hold until the middle of next year.
• In trading this morning, the New Zealand dollar has capped its gains, with the price currently hovering just above 2.17.

The aussie dollar continued its upward trend yesterday, pushing on nearly one percent against the pound following bullish words from an RBA official.

• The Australian dollar rose as a Reserve Bank of Australia official said a move to “more normal” interest rates was appropriate, indicating that the yield gap may widen further.
• Philip Lowe, assistant governor of the RBA, also mentioned at the conference in Sydney that it was “appropriate” to remove monetary stimulus as the economy improves boosting demand for higher-yielding assets.
• The Australian currency also traded strongly during the Asian session with demand high as both the Nikkei and Shanghai Composite indices traded strongly.
• The RBA minutes from their most recent policy meeting, released early this morning, had a hawkish tone, which reinforced views of a steep interest rate hike next month.
• However, the aussie, which has broadly strengthened in response, is currently trading just marginally higher against the pound, with the price currently around 1.7650.

The single currency resumed its climb against the dollar in trading yesterday, supported by rising confidence in the global recovery, closing the day up 0.4%.

• The euro hovered just below the psychologically important 1.50 level as the US dollar remained under selling pressure on expectations that US interest rates will remain pinned at record lows well into 2010.
• The single currency also found support as some investors speculated finance ministers from the 16-nation region meeting in Luxembourg would focus on the currency’s strength.
• The dollar came under further pressure as the continued confidence over the prospects of a global economic recovery were reaffirmed as the Dow Jones opened up over 10,000, keeping haven demand for the dollar in check.
• Late in the afternoon, the Fed added to the greenback’s woes after stating that it has been testing its reverse repurchase agreement tool but is not about to use it, suggesting that US monetary policy is not set to tighten just yet.

The dollar slid further against the euro yesterday as solid results from JP Morgan Chase and rising equities stoked optimism about an improving global economy.

• The euro extended its rally, hitting a fourteen-month high of 1.4943 against the greenback, boosted after data showed an acceleration in eurozone industrial output.
• Industrial production in eurozone rose for the fourth straight month in August, providing further evidence that the area’s economy is on track to post its first rise in gross domestic product in the third quarter since the first quarter of 2008.
• Pressure on the dollar was also added as every major stock market in Europe rose after New York-based bank JP Morgan Chase announced strong third-quarter earnings, adding to risk appetite.
• The dollar found little support against a broadly stronger single currency after data revealed that US retail sales fell by 1.5% in September, although they did top estimates of a drop of 2.0%.
• The euro has continued to push higher this morning after the FOMC minutes confirmed that interest rates in the US would remain at record lows for some time.

Sterling made strong gains in early trading yesterday following better-than-expected employment data, but the price pulled back to close up 0.4% at $1.5980.

• The number of UK jobless claiming unemployment benefit rose by 20.8K in September, less than the forecast figure of 25.1K, and the smallest rise since May 2008, enabling the pound to post an intra-week high of $1.6022.
• The greenback also suffered from comments made on Tuesday evening from Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn, which supported speculation that the dollar downtrend will be broad and continuous for some time to come.
• However, the dollar trimmed its losses in the afternoon following a drop in sales figures. Due largely to the end of the cash-for-clunkers programme, retail figures in the US fell by 1.5% in August, having risen by a revised 2.2% in August.
• The dollar has come under heavy pressure in trading this morning after the Federal Open Market Committee minutes, released late last night, confirmed speculation that US interest rates would be kept at near zero for an extended period.
• Sterling has gained over a cent, or 0.8%, so far today, with the price currently hovering just above 1.61.