Dollar Strengthens On Positive

Gold prices edged back towards $1,560 an ounce in Europe on Tuesday after a positive reading of German growth lifted the euro versus the dollar, and as physical buyers stepped in to take advantage of the metal's fall to 4-1/2 month lows. Gold remains vulnerable to more losses, however, as worries over the euro zone's future simmer in the background, keeping the single currency under pressure. Spot gold was up 0.1 percent at $1,557.80 an ounce at 05:24 a.m. EDT (0924 GMT), while U.S. gold futures for June delivery were down $3.50 an ounce at $1,557.50. Gold earlier hit its lowest since December 30 at $1,547.99 an ounce and is down more than 6 percent in May so far, on track for its worst monthly performance since December's washout, as talk that Greece could exit the euro zone spooked ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR Spain's credit rating was lowered by Standard & Poor's for a second time in 2012 on enduring worries the nation will have to apply additional fiscal backing to lenders as the economy shrinks. S&P cut its long term grade for Spain from A to BBB+ adding a negative outlook. Country's short term rating was lowered from A-1 to A-2, S&P agency reported on Thursday. USD Crude oil price declined from almost 4-week high in New York trade after S&P ratings agency cut Spain's sovereign credit rating, boosting concerns that further recession in Europe may halt demand for crude. Oil to be delivered in June lost USD 0.61, reaching USD 103.94 a barrel. June Brent oil gave up USD 0.49 and traded at USD 119.43 a barrel. GBP Today the Great Britain Pound extended its gains ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "The debt crisis is far from over still and I think Spain will be worse before it gets better" - Henrik Drusebjerg, a senior equity strategist at Nordea Bank AB The seasonally adjusted current account of the euro zone swung a deficit of €1.3 billion in February from a surplus of €3.7 billion in January, said the European Central Bank on Wednesday. USD "We got used to companies beating estimates by a pretty good margin" - Burt White, chief investment officer at LPL Financial Corp. U.S. stocks fell after Intel Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. disappointed market participants with their quarterly results. GBP "… the monetary policy committee is likely to remain on hold on the stock of asset purchases at its May meeting" - Mauro Giorgio Marrano, an ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR German DAX index fell on Wednesday after Spain reported its proportion of non-performing loans versus total lending rallied to 7.91% January, the highest figure since 1994 raising doubts about nation's ability prevent debt turmoil. USD The IMF expects the overall economic growth to accelerate this year as the Euro Zone started to show signs of recovery after severe debt crisis. Moreover, US economic performance also improved. The IMF predicted the global economy to grow by 3.5% in 2012 as compared to the previous expectation for a 3.3% expansion. GBP Despite unexpected drop in nation's unemployment, Brtish FTSE 100 index traded modestly lower on Wednesday weighed down by banking stocks as Adam Posen, policy maker at the Bank of England ended his support for ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR The 17-nation currency depreciated versus its US counterpart and Japanese currency ahead of Spanish debt sale on Tuesday. The Euro shed 0.2% versus US Dollar to USD 1.3110 and gave up also 0.2% against Yen to JPY 105.42. Currently EUR/USD is trading at USD 1.3110 and EUR/JPY is trading at JPY 105.41. USD China has raised its US debt holding for the second consecutive month as country's foreign exchange portion continued to advance. China purchased 12.7 billion US dollars of the US Treasuries in February thus boosting the debt holding to 1,178.9 billion US Dollars, according to the US Treasury Department. Chinese foreign exchange reserves gained 3.9% in Q1 on an annual basis. GBP FTSE 100 index rallied on Tuesday as Spanish successfully auctioned bonds and US ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR Italy's borrowing costs increased during last bond sale, escalating worries about Italy's ability to repay its obligations. Three-year bonds faced a rise in the interest rate from 2.76% to 3.89%. Adding to concerns over the Euro Zone's economic state, Greek unemployment rate surged to 21.8% in January as compared to 14.8% in January 2011. USD US March CPI increased by 0.3% thus outpacing the 0.2% investor consensus forecast. Core CPI was in line with the expectations at 0.2% last month, Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. GBP FTSE 100 index traded lower on Friday as lower than expected China's GDP growth weighed on investor sentiment. Additionally Spanish shares tumbled as country's bond yields climbed. Sage Group lost 2.2% after Jefferies cut the stock' ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR "The outlook for the industrial sector is bleak" - Martin van Vliet, an economist at ING Group Euro-area industrial production unexpectedly rose in February, even as the region’s economy continued to slide into a recession. Production increased 0.5 per cent from January, said the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg on Thursday. USD "Import prices were certainly a problem for businesses in the last three months, but we’ve seen those pressures ease" - Jacob Oubina, a senior U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets LLC The number of Americans claiming for unemployment benefits rose to 380 thousand in the week ended April 7 from the week before, said the Department of Labor on Thursday. GBP "Concern persists that U.K. exports will be limited in the near ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR Germany's bond yield advanced after the country did not manage to meet maximum sales target. The average yield on the new benchmark 10-year bunds rose by six basis points, advancing to 1.71%. At the same time yields on two-year notes added four basis points approaching 0.13%. USD Natural gas futures fell below its key support level of 2.00 US Dollars per BTU, approaching 10-year low late on Wednesday as traders continued to sell off the fuel. Natural gas for May delivery traded at 1.98 US Dollars per BTU on the New York Mercantile Exchange, sinking by 2.39% in late US trade. GBP FTSE 100 index fluctuated between gains and losses on Thursday as government reported UK's trade deficit widened more than expected in February. Royal Dutch Shell tumbled 5% on news an ...

Gold steadied on Wednesday, after rising for four days straight, as the intensifying euro zone debt crisis threatened to undermine the euro and offset any potential safe-haven demand for the metal. The euro rose on Wednesday but has come under pressure in the past week as the debt crisis has reignited. The focus is now on Spain, where the head of the central bank said on Tuesday commercial banks would need more capital if the economy continues to deteriorate. Benchmark 10-year Spanish yields touched 6 percent for the first time since early December on Wednesday, having risen by more than two-thirds of a percentage point in the past week alone, while peripheral banking stocks have been pummeled. Spot gold was last down 0.1 percent on the day at $1,658.16 an ounce by 1224 GMT, while U.S. ...