Japan's core machinery orders, a leading indicator of capital spending, rose for the second straight month in July but fell short of expectations. Core machinery orders rose 3.5 percent on month, below expectations for a 4.0 percent rise in a Reuters poll and down from an 8.8 percent rise in June, government data showed on Wednesday.
On a year-on-year basis machinery orders rose 1.1 percent, better than expectations for a 0.6 percent rise and up from a 3 percent decline in June. " we had expected a 5 percent increase month-on-month today's result is not pessimistic," said Junko Nishioka, chief Japan economist, RBS Securities Japan. "Japanese manufacturers are retrieving a growth trend in the second half of this year."
The figures came after Japan revised its second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) reading lower on Monday. The revised figure showed the economy contracted an annualized 7.1 percent, worse than an initial reading of 6.8 percent, marking the biggest contraction since the first quarter of 2009 as a hike in the consumption tax dragged economic growth.
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD clings to daily gains above 1.0650
EUR/USD gained traction and turned positive on the day above 1.0650. The improvement seen in risk mood following the earlier flight to safety weighs on the US Dollar ahead of the weekend and helps the pair push higher.
GBP/USD recovers toward 1.2450 after UK Retail Sales data
GBP/USD reversed its direction and advanced to the 1.2450 area after touching a fresh multi-month low below 1.2400 in the Asian session. The positive shift seen in risk mood on easing fears over a deepening Iran-Israel conflict supports the pair.
Gold holds steady at around $2,380 following earlier spike
Gold stabilized near $2,380 after spiking above $2,400 with the immediate reaction to reports of Israel striking Iran. Meanwhile, the pullback seen in the US Treasury bond yields helps XAU/USD hold its ground.
Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: BTC post-halving rally could be partially priced in Premium
Bitcoin price shows no signs of directional bias while it holds above $60,000. The fourth BTC halving is partially priced in, according to Deutsche Bank’s research.
Week ahead – US GDP and BoJ decision on top of next week’s agenda
US GDP, core PCE and PMIs the next tests for the Dollar. Investors await BoJ for guidance about next rate hike. EU and UK PMIs, as well as Australian CPIs also on tap.