Macro Events & News

FX News Today

Asian Market Wrap: 10-year Treasury yields are unchanged on the day at 3.11%, 10-year JGBs marginally higher at 0.052% despite a dip in CPI inflation and long yields were mixed elsewhere across Asia. Stocks also struggled for direction. Topix and Nikkei managed gains of 0.31% each, the Hang Seng is up 0.19%, but the CSI 300 slightly down, Shanghai com and Shenzhen Comp narrowly mixed. Treasury yields near 2011 highs continue to weigh on investor sentiment, but U.S. stock futures are higher amid reports that China offered the US a USD 200 bln reduction in the bilateral trade gap. Oil prices are holding near the 2014 highs amid mounting signs of shrinking stock piles and the front end WTI future is at USD 71.61 per barrel.

FX Update: The yen have traded softer into the London interbank open, which saw USDJPY touch 111.00 for the first time since January while concurrently lifting yen crosses. AUDJPY, for instance, clocked a one-month high. A dip in Japanese inflation data weighed on the yen. Headline April CPI fell to a rate of 0.6% y/y from 1.1% y/y in March, while core CPI ebbed to 0.7% y/y from 0.9% y/y. The outcomes undershot market expectations, and should maintain the BoJ’s ultra-accommodative monetary policy. EUR-USD, meanwhile, lifted back above 1.1800, though remain well off yesterday’s high at 1.1837. AUDUSD and Cable also gained, though similarly remained comfortably below the previous day’s peak. The surge in U.S. yields should keep the dollar a buy-on-dips trade.

Charts of the Day

Main Macro Events Today

• EU Trade Balance – expected at 20.7 B surplus slightly below the previous reading at 21 B.

• Canadian CPI  – Expectations –  CPI is expected to grow 0.4% (m/m, nsa) in April after the 0.3% gain in March. The CPI is projected to grow at a 2.3% y/y pace in April, matching the 2.3% rate of increase in March. The 2.3 y/y clip in March was the fastest rate since the 2.4% pace in October of 2014.

• Canadian Retail Sales – Expectations – Retail sales are expected to rise 0.3% in March after the 0.4% gain in February. The ex-autos sales aggregate is projected to rise 0.5% in March after the flat reading in February. The CPI’s gasoline price index rose 2.9% in March after the 0.7% dip in February. Hence, gasoline station sales should provide a boost to total and ex-autos sales retail sales.

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