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 dollar gained today versus most of the 16 main traded currencies as China tightened its lending restrictions, raising risk aversion in

foreign-exchange markets affecting high-yielding currencies the most, as investors search for safer bets.

The U.S. currency continue yesterday’s advance as risk aversion coming from Asia is still playing a major role in market sentiment this week, and the safety provided by assets in the country became one of the best options for these turbulent trading sessions. The euro was one of the biggest losers versus the dollar touching the lowest rate in 2010 today after International Monetary Fund officials affirmed that Greece’s situation is serious, once again making the Southern European nation to affect the outlook for the bloc’s single currency. The New Zealand dollar declined as a report in the nation showed that consumer prices dropped in the country, surprising analysts.

Chinese’s new policy regarding loans to avoid a new credit bubble is decreasing risk appetite, and events in Europe aren’t good either, this is allowing the dollar to outperform most of its trading partners currencies, as the U.S. provided relatively good data today, as analysts affirmed.

EUR/USD bottomed at 1.4095 as of 17:17 GMT from a previous rate of 1.4272 yesterday. NZD/USD traded at 0.7190 from 0.7387.

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.

After several days gaining versus the dollar and the euro, the Norwegian currency slid versus main traded currencies as a bearish day in equities markets and decreased demand for commodities shunned investors from assets in the Nordic country.

The Norwegian krone was affected today as the crude oil, the nation’s chief export, had a decline on its rates after China imposed new lending requirements for banks in the country, affecting markets’ sentiment, consequently impacting stock markets and demand for high-yielding currencies.

USD/NOK traded at 5.6518 as of 19:08 GMT from today’s opening rate of 5.6174.

If you want to comment on the Norwegian krone’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.

The dollar strengthened, consolidating after broad selling on the back of data showing strong US growth, gaining over a cent on the single currency.

• Equities took a sharp downturn at the end of last week, having rallied after the positive US GDP data, most likely as a result of end of month profit taking, which buoyed demand for the greenback.
• Data also showed that US consumer spending fell for the first time in five months in September, coinciding with the end of the government’s car scrappage scheme.
• The US Commerce Department says spending dropped 0.5% in September, compared with a 1.4% rise in August, which encouraged investors to buy back into the haven currency.
• The US dollar extended gains in the afternoon, pushing the euro down near three-week lows after data showed that a US Midwest manufacturing index was stronger-than-expected failed to heighten risk appetite.
• The euro has climbed in trading this morning with the price currently hovering around the mid 1.47 mark.

The greeback pulled back from its sharp sell-off on Thursday, as weak US economic data spurred a return to risk aversion.

• In early trading, the dollar continued to lose ground following the better-than-expected US growth data, however the GBP/USD rally was capped at 1.6600, and the UK currency pulled down steadily, eventually closing down 0.6% ay 1.6448.
• US markets went through losses on Friday, with financials and materials leading the path, as risk aversion returned after Thursday’s optimism, strengthening support for the greenback.
• On the macroeconomic front, data revealed that US consumer spending declined 0.5% in September, the largest decline since December 2008, further buoying the dollar rally.
• Positive manufacturing data from the Midwest in the afternoon failed to dent dollar buying in the markets and traders acknowledged that part of this may have been due to month-end flows into the US currency related to foreign portfolios.
• The US currency has continued to climb in trading this morning, currently half a percent up, as investors remain cautious ahead of big events this week, including interest rate decisions in the UK, eurozone and US.

The pound edged higher, achieving its biggest weekly advance against the euro since January, as signs pointed to the UK economic recovery talking hold.

• The pound/euro pairing was little changed at the end of last week, though sterling did creep up, supported by reports showing gains in consumer confidence and UK house prices.
• Month-on-month property prices were up for the sixth consecutive month in October and were 2% higher than in the same month the previous year. However, the pace of monthly price rises has eased, going up by just 0.4%.
• Meanwhile in the eurozone, data revealed that the unemployment rate rose to 9.7%, in line with market expectations, which raised concerns that recovery could still be destabilised, dulling demand for the euro.
• Last week the Bank of England completed its £175 billion asset purchase programme and so investors are now looking toward an extension of QE in their meeting this week.
• Analysts have noted that until the market is confident the BOE is done with quantitative easing, it is going to be very difficult for sterling to rally significantly from current levels.

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 aussie dollar reversed recent losses yesterday after positive US GDP data encouraged investors to buy-back into perceived riskier currencies.

• The aussie pulled back nearly two cents, or 1.0%, bringing the sterling/aussie pair back down to trade around 1.80 as the data spurred demand for risk.
• Investors have been cashing profits in the Australian currency recently as global equities took a downturn, but yesterday’s figure saw traders revive long positions in the aussie.
• Analysts noted that the figures were a near-perfect combination for riskier assets: strong enough to encourage those with an optimistic outlook on the financial markets, but not too strong to generate expectations of accelerated monetary tightening from the Federal Reserve.
• In trading this morning, the pound has halted its fall and is currently trading up around 0.2% with price hovering above 1.8100.

The dollar snapped four days of gains against the euro as the US economy returned to growth in the three months through September, officially exiting recession.

• The US government’s advance estimate showed gross domestic product grew at an annualised rate of 3.5% in the third quarter, the first rise since the second quarter of 2008, which beat expectations for a reading of 3.3%.
• The data reduced the safe-haven appeal of the greenback, encouraging investors to sell their dollar holdings in favour of growth-linked currencies, enabling the euro to climb over a cent on the day.
• Analysts did note however, that concern may still linger over whether the US economy will be able to sustain this level of growth as the government begins to unwind its stimulus packages.
• In addition, trading yesterday saw the European Commission’s economic sentiment indicator post a bigger-than-expected October rise. The index for the eurozone rose to 86.2 from 82.8 in September, beating expectations and lending support to the single currency‘s rally.

The single currency slipped further away from recent 14-month highs against the dollar yesterday, losing nearly a cent to close down at 1.4707.

• The US dollar rose, stretching a rally against the euro to a fourth day, supported by weak U.S. economic data that weighed on equity markets and led investors to seek safety in the greenback and cut exposure to assets perceived as risky.
• Initially though, the euro pared early losses after data showed core US durable goods orders were better-than-expected in September.
• The report revealed that the core figure, which excludes transport equipment, rose by 0.9%, higher than forecasts of a 0.6% rise, strengthening risk appetite in the market.
• However, in the afternoon the euro extended losses after further data showed that US home sales unexpectedly fell, declining 3.6% last month to an annual rate of 402,000, disappointing market forecasts that expected a 2.6% rise.
• Analysts noted that the soft housing sales figure offset positive durable goods orders, given that the latter data is generally volatile and sometimes does not represent the whole economic story.
• In trading today, investors will be eagerly awaiting US 3rd quarter GDP data, released at 12:30.

Sterling closed marginally up against the US currency yesterday, although the price was pulled back significantly following weak US housing data.

• In early trading, the pound lost ground to the dollar as falls in equity prices encouraged investors to trim their exposure to perceived higher risk currencies.
• UK stocks slid to a three-week low, helping to push the price down to 1.63, well under a level just below 1.67 reached only a week ago.
• The pound was then able to make slight gains in the afternoon after positive durable goods data weakened dollar demand, but the pair found resistance at 1.64.
• This data was then offset in the afternoon after it was revealed that sales of new homes in the US declined in September, against analyst expectations of a slight increase, which supported an upside movement
• In trading today, markets will take direction from the US third-quarter GDP figure at 09:30, which is predicted to show a growth rate of 3.3%. Should it undershoot this forecast, investors are likely to move back into the dollar.

The pound continued to advance against a broadly weaker single currency yesterday, hitting a six-week high of 1.1167 as investors trimmed their euro holdings.

• Preliminary CPI data from Germany revealed that consumer prices remained flat on the year in October. Monthly data showed that the index did rise by 0.1% in October from September, though this rise failed to garner support for the euro.
• The markets also saw a slight withdrawal of risk activity yesterday as weak housing data in the US renewed concern over the health of the global recovery.
• The data dragged European equities down to three-week lows, which appeared to impact more severely on the single-currency, enabling the pound to gain.
• This morning, the pound is consolidating its position above 1.1100, with analysts reiterating that sterling is likely to remain in a holding pattern until next week’s BoE asset purchase decision.
• Investors are cautious amid uncertainty over whether the Central Bank will extend their quantitative easing programme, and so sterling movements may continue to be dictated by risk appetite in over the coming days.

The pound made up further ground on the kiwi dollar, gaining 0.65% after positive sales data supported evidence that the UK economy is still on the road to recovery.

• The sales data, which came in above market forecasts, encouraged investors to buy back into the UK currency, with the price briefly reaching above 2.20.
• Conversely, selling pressure remained on the New Zealand dollar after the nation’s Prime Minister expressed concern over the currency’s strength, and stated that there were few tools with which to deal with it.
• Higher-yielding currencies were also under pressure overnight as Asian equities turned negative, with Nikkei 225 losing over a percent, dulling demand for “riskier” assets.
• In trading this morning the pound has continued to rally, rising to a three-week high over 2.22 as a New Zealand business confidence survey unexpectedly undershot forecasts, weakening the possibility of a hawkish RBNZ rate statement to be made this evening at 20:00.

Sterling edged up against the aussie yesterday, benefiting from improved UK sales data, which supported claims that the UK economy is recovering.

• On Monday evening, MPC member Adam Posen, following negative GDP data, stated that there were still signs of an economic recovery even if Britain is behind other countries in pulling out of the recession.
• His statement found support yesterday after the UK CBI sales showed month-on-month improvement, beating market expectations and buoying demand for the UK currency.
• The UK currency has pushed higher in trading this morning after investors pared bets of a steep rate rise in Australia after inflation data did not increase by as much as some had anticipated.
• The quarterly CPI figure came in at 1.0%, which tilted the markets away from pricing in a more aggressive upward rate movement at the next RBA meeting on Nov 3 rd.
• Currently the pair are trading around the 1.80 level, just below a three-week high for the pound.

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.

The pound posted gains against the aussie yesterday, reversing its steep fall at the end of last week as investors cashed profits, closing up 0.8% at 1.7822.

• The aussie was broadly weaker in trading yesterday as investors took the opportunity to take profits following sharp gains made on Friday.
• The price of gold also continued to fall yesterday, discouraging investment in the commodity linked currency. Gold quoted around 1053/oz yesterday, though probably due more to profit taking than lack of strength.
• In trading this morning, the aussie is slightly up on the day, though investors are likely to remain wary ahead of sales data in the UK and a consumer confidence survey in the US
• In addition, investors may well caution against long positions ahead of Thursday when the US 3 rd quarter GDP figure is released. The economy is forecast to have grown by 3.3% in the quarter, though if it undershoots this target it could trigger a wave of selling in riskier currencies.

Further doubts over the dollar’s reserve status stoked selling in the US currency yesterday, enabling the pound to recover some of Friday’s heavy losses.

• The greenback lost ground broadly after an article stated that the People’s Bank of China may be considering raising the share of the euro and the yen in its foreign exchange reserves, though the dollar should still remain dominant.
• However it was later revealed that the article was merely the author’s “point of view,” which capped sterling’s gains, as investors checked their dollar selling.
• In addition, the pound found support as declines at the end of last week were seen by some investors as over-stretched, suggesting that the market has oversold sterling.
• However, as the US markets came online, global stocks took a dive into the red, enabling the haven currency to trim its losses.
• Analysts noted that given the huge amount of bearish trades on the dollar in recent weeks, a near-term dollar recovery could be on the horizon.
• In trading today, investors will be looking for direction from sales data in the UK, released at 11:00, and a consumer confidence survey in the US, released at 14:00.