Commentary By Eurozone Leaders

Fundamental Analysis EUR Concern about Greece "is a big weight on the market and makes things uncertain" - Emmanuel Soupre, a fund manager at Neuflize Private Assets European stocks tumbled on Wednesday, after rising by the most in a month on Tuesday, on speculation Greece may exit the euro zone. USD "It’s very clear now that the housing market has turned a corner" - Richard DeKaser, deputy chief economist at Parthenon Group LLC Sales of new U.S. homes rose by more than expected in April, Commerce Department data showed on Wednesday. Purchases increased to an annual rate of 343,000, up by 3.3 per cent from a revised 332,000 in March. GBP " employment remains fragile and wage growth weak" - Ross Walker, chief U.K. economist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group U.K. retails sales declined by ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "Inevitably there is going to be an element of bargain hunting as investors look to top up their holdings on the basis of slightly lower prices" - Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers European stocks edged higher on Monday on China’s pledge to boost growth. USD "Equity prices have gotten oversold" - Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist for Janney Montgomery Scott LLC U.S. equity market edged higher on Monday on China stimulus hopes and after German and French officials said they would cooperate to keep Greece in the monetary union. GBP "Obviously, as the euro depreciates, the U.K. gets slightly more expensive" - Miles Shipside, Rightmove commercial director U.K. national house prices stagnated in March, announced the ...

Dukascopy Fundamental Analysis EUR Mario Draghi, the ECB President, insisted on Greece to stay in the Euro bloc during his public speech on Wednesday regarding the possibility of Greece withdrawal from the Eurozone. Nevertheless, according to him, the ECB will stick to its anti-inflation mandate. The ECB President's comments came after Irish and Belgian central banks reported that Greek exit would not be disastrous for the Eurozone. USD Jobless claims in the U.S. didn't live up to the expectations that it will decrease by 5K and remained unchanged, at 370K level, in the week from 6th to 12th of May. Amount of people on rolling unemployment claims increased by around 18K while the number of people on prolonged payments decreased by around 45K. 31 out of 52 states or territory's reported ...

Dukascopy Fundamental Analysis EUR Industrial production in the 17 countries that use the euro fell unexpectedly in March, leaving little doubt the region contracted for a second straight quarter in the first three months of the year and returned to recession, data by Eurostat showed Monday. USD Stocks fell, commodities declined to their cheapest level this year and the euro weakened to a three- month low on concern that Greece will exit the single European currency and after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party lost a state election. GBP The government, and many economists, say the U.K.'s austerity plan has succeeded in reassuring financial markets that the government is focused on wrestling down the country's debt, which had ballooned to the highest levels since World War II. As a ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "Equity markets are driven by two things: fundamentals and sentiment." - Lorne Baring, managing director at B Capital SA European stocks climbed on Friday after a report showed U.S. consumer confidence increased to the highest level in four years in May. USD "Confidence has been boosted by lower gasoline prices." - Paul Dales, a senior economist at Capital Economics Ltd. U.S. consumer confidence rose by more than expected in May as consumers became more optimistic on the outlook of the country's economy. GBP "The April producer price data … do little overall to reduce the uncertainty as to whether or not the Bank of England will eventually do more Quantitative Easing." - Howard Archer, an economist at HIS Global Insight U.K. producer prices rose by more than ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "The debt crisis damps demand for German products in Europe but Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa should generally be able to compensate declining sales." - Gerd Hassel, an economist at BHF Bank AG German industrial production unexpectedly soared in March, adding to signs the euro zone’s largest economy is weathering debt crisis. Production jumped 2.8 per cent from February, when it declined 0.2 per cent, said the Economy Ministry on Tuesday. USD "People are preparing for a shock that may or may not occur." - Michael Holland, chairman and founder of New York-based Holland & Co. U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as Greece’s bailout pledge came into question. GBP "The health of the housing market is a reverberation of consumer confidence and credit ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR German jobless rate unexpectedly climbed first time in last six months as debt turmoil curbed economic growth. The number of unemployed people increased by 19 000, reaching 2.87 million, compared to an expected drop by 10 000 people. The adjusted unemployment rate was 6.8%. USD Mitt Romney announced that Yuan's 23% appreciation versus U.S. Dollar in last five years is not enough and branded world's second largest economy as currency manipulator. Romney promised in his campaigns to put more pressure on China as he claimed Obama hasn't done enough to boost stronger Yuan. Economists questioned by Bloomberg expected Yuan to climb versus greenback to CHY 6.15 by the end of 2012. GBP FTSE 100 index traded lower on Wednesday as record high unemployment level and ...

Weekly Economic and Financial Commentary U.S. Review First-Quarter GDP Growth Slows The U.S. economy grew at a 2.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter, somewhat slower than the consensus had expected. Consumption remained the primary driver of growth as business spending slowed and the government sector continued to scale back spending. In our U.S. review section this week, we discuss the GDP report in the context of the big miss in durables and consider what it means for business spending going forward. We also look at a very small change in the Fed statement this week that reflects an improving view on the troubled housing sector. Business Spending Poised for a Slowdown? Durable goods orders for March were ugly. The 4.2 percent drop was the largest decline since the U.S. ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR The eurozone crisis appears to have "taken a pause for breath" - Wolfgang Franz, ZEW president An index of German investor confidence rose to 22.3 in March, the highest level in more than 20 months, from 5.4 in February, said the ZEW Centre for European Economic Research on Tuesday. ZEW sentiment is based on a survey conducted among 350 German investors and analysts, who are asked to assess the six-month economic outlook. USD "The economy is moving towards a self-sustaining recovery" - Jeffrey Saut, chief investment strategist at Raymond James & Associates U.S. month on month retail sales grew at a fastest pace in five months in February, suggesting the worlds largest economy is gaining steam even despite rising gasoline prices, said the Census Bureau on ...