China Caixin Services beats and compliments a slew of positive data from China

Ross J Burland FXStreet

The Chinese Caixin Services PMI has been released as follows:

Caixin China PMI Services Feb: 55 (est 54.5, prev 52.9).
Caixin China PMI Composite Feb: 54.2 (prev 51.1).

This date follows data earlier this week with the official manufacturing PMI rising to 52.6 in February from 50.1 prior, the highest reading in over a decade. In addition, average PMIs for manufacturing, services and construction in 2M-2023 reached their highest levels in nearly two years, indicating a broad-based recovery. The rebound in services activity was stronger than manufacturing, as external demand remained relatively soft.

AUD/USD update

Despite the data today, AUD/USD is a touch lower on the release, but remained up on the day at 0.6740 and touch below the highs of 0.6752.

About The Caixin Services PMI™

The Caixin Services PMI™, released by Markit Economics, is based on data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to purchasing executives in over 400 private service sector companies. The panel has been carefully selected to accurately replicate the true structure of the services economy.

Author

Ross J Burland

FXStreet

Ross J Burland, born in England, UK, is a sportsman at heart. He played Rugby and Judo for his county, Kent and the South East of England Rugby team.

EUR/USD ticks higher to near 1.1800 ahead of flash German inflation data

The EUR/USD pair trades marginally higher to near 1.1810 in the late Asian trading session on Friday, ahead of the release of preliminary inflation data for February from Germany and its major states during the day.

GBP/USD struggles to lure buyers amid UK political drama, BoE easing bias

The GBP/USD pair struggles to build on the overnight modest bounce from the 1.3445 area, or the weekly low, and oscillates in a narrow band during the Asian session on Friday. Spot prices currently trade just below the 1.3500 psychological mark, nearly unchanged for the day, and seem vulnerable to slide further.

Gold awaits acceptance above $5,200 and US PPI data

Gold consolidates previous rebound near $5,200 amid risk-off markets, awaiting US PPI release. The US Dollar eyes a flattish weekly close as dovish Fed outlook and tariff woes outweigh geopolitical risks. Gold yearns for acceptance above $5,200 to resume the uptrend, with a bullish RSI in play.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary.

Changing the game: International implications of recent tariff developments

The Supreme Court ruling on International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs provides limited relief for the rest of the world, with weighted average tariff rates modestly lower.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.