Currency Strategist At Hsbc

(Reuters) - The U.S. dollar climbed to a 20-month high and safe-haven German bonds set record low yields, after data showed Europe's economic woes intensifying as business confidence is undercut by talk of a Greek exit and slow progress in tackling the debt crisis. Private-sector factory activity in China also faltered in May as demand for exports fell, in a worrying sign the impact of the euro zone crisis could be undermining the global economic recovery. Europe is China's largest export market. But U.S. stock index futures have edged higher as investors remain hopeful that pending data on durable goods orders and initial jobless claims will show the world's largest economy is staying on track for recovery. The slowdown in economic activity in Europe's powerhouse Germany sent the euro ...

(Reuters) - Asian shares eased on Thursday as markets were vulnerable to faltering factory orders in China and lack of concrete measures shown by European leaders to tackle the risk of Greece leaving the currency bloc. European Union leaders, at an informal meeting on Wednesday, said they wanted Greece to stay in the euro zone while respecting commitments it had made in return for its bailout, but have been advised by senior officials to prepare contingency plans in case Greece exits. The murky outlook for the euro zone and fears that the crisis could derail the global economy have prompted investors to park money in safe-haven assets such as U.S. and German government bonds, the U.S. dollar or cash. Implications of a retreat in China's HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index, the earliest ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "Spain, once again, is where the confidence game is played" - Sebastian Paris Horvitz, strategist at HSBC Private Bank Suisse Spain sold the maximum targeted amount of debt, 2.5 billion euros, during yesterday’s auction with spiking borrowing costs. The interest rate of three-year bonds rose to 4.373% from April’s figure of 2.89% while interest rate of five-year bonds surged to 5.106% from 3.374 in March. USD "What we’re seeing in foreign-exchange markets is strong demand for the U.S. dollar" - Steven Saywell, head of foreign-exchange strategy for Europe at BNP Paribas SA Latest US initial unemployment claim data was released yesterday – 370 000 Americans demanded their jobless benefits last week versus a 368 000 consensus forecast. The Labor Department revised ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "We expect euro-region inflation to normalize in 2013" - Michael Schubert, an economist at Commerzbank AG Inflation in the seventeen nation bloc eased to 2.6 per cent in March from 2.7 per cent the previous month, said the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg on Wednesday. USD "Uncertainty about Greece and the effects a potential exit out of the euro would have on Europe, the global economy and the financial system in general is driving investors out of stocks into safe havens" - Markus Huber, head of German sales trading at ETX Capital The Standard & Poor's 500 lost 0.44%, or 5.86 points, to 1,324.80. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 0.26%, or 33.45 points, to 12,598.55. GBP Unemployment figures are a "welcome step in the right ...

(Reuters) - The euro stayed close to a 3 1/2-month low against the dollar on Thursday and was expected to suffer further losses as political deadlock in Greece increased the risk of insolvency and a possible euro exit. The common currency gained a short-term reprive as stress in Spanish debt markets abated slightly and after Greece secured funds needed for bond repayments. However, it was expected to continue the firm downward path established since Greece's inconclusive elections at the weekend. With another set of elections likely, doubts are growing that Greece will adhere to austerity measures needed to secure further emergency funding. The euro was up 0.2 percent at $1.2956, but it stayed not far from $1.29115 hit on Wednesday, its lowest since late January. Analysts were skeptical ...

(Reuters) - The euro steadied near a 3 1/2-month low against the dollar on Thursday as stress in Spanish debt markets abated slightly and after Greece secured funds needed for bond repayments, tempering the threat of a Greek insolvency and possible euro exit. However Greece's future in the euro zone remains in question, with another round of elections foreseen and doubts about whether the country will adhere to austerity measures needed to secure further emergency funding. Greece averted an imminent funding crisis after the board of the European Financial Stability Facility agreed to release 4.2 billion euros of a scheduled payment. However, impatient governments withheld part of the latest tranche of rescue funds to be paid on Thursday. Ten-year Spanish government bond yields fell ...

(Reuters) - The euro edged away from a 3 1/2-month low against the dollar on Thursday as stress in Spanish debt markets abated slightly and after Greece secured funds needed for bond repayments, tempering the threat of a Greek insolvency and possible euro exit. Greece averted an imminent funding crisis after the board of the European Financial Stability Facility agreed to a scheduled 5.2 billion euro ($6.72 billion) payment. However, impatient governments withheld part of the latest tranche of rescue funds to be paid to Greece on Thursday. Ten-year Spanish government bond yields fell after Spain's government effectively took over Bankia, one of the country's biggest banks, in a bid to restore confidence in Spain's ailing banking system. The euro hit its lowest since late ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "The grim unemployment figures for March will likely encourage talk about a long overdue ‘growth pact’ for the euro zone" - Martin van Vliet, an economist at ING Group Euro area unemployment rose to the highest level since 1997 in March and manufacturing contracted in April, adding to signs the economy is still far from out of the woods. USD "Employment growth is slowing" - David Sloan, an economist at 4Cast Inc. The number of Americans, who have found a job in the private sector fell to 119,000 in April from a revised 201,000 in March, the ADP Employer Services said on Wednesday. GBP " points to clear, decent construction expansion in April" - Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight U.K. construction sector expanded slower in April, compared ...

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 ...