Daily Market Outlook from ACFX 08/12/2013

[Atlas CapitalFx]

Daily Market Outlook from ACFX 08/12/2013


Important Financial Indicators of the day

JPY - 02:50 (GMT) - Prelim GDP q/q

Forecast 0.9%

Previous 1.0%



Currencies

•EUR/USD The Dollar Index climbed for a second day before U.S. data forecast to show retail sales rose a fourth-straight month, adding to the case for the Federal Reserve to reduce monetary stimulus.•The greenback rose 0.3 percent to 96.51 yen, after dropping to 95.81 on Aug. 8, the lowest since June 19. It added 0.1 percent to $1.3325 per euro. Europe’s shared currency rallied 0.2 percent to 128.60 yen after earlier reaching 127.98, the weakest since June 27.

•NZD/USD New Zealand’s two-year swap rate was near the highest since 2011 after a private report showed housing prices remained close to an all-time high in the South Pacific nation. •New Zealand’s currency was little changed at 80.31 U.S. cents, while the Aussie fell 0.2 percent to 91.86 U.S. cents. The kiwi climbed 2.6 percent and the Aussie jumped 3.4 percent last week, the biggest gain for both currencies since December 2011.


Commodities

•Oil West Texas Intermediate crude swung between gains and losses after the biggest rally in more than a week as hedge funds cut bullish bets. •WTI for September delivery was at $106.07 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 10 cents at 2:40 p.m. Singapore time. The contract advanced $2.57 to settle at $105.97 on Aug. 9. The volume of all futures traded was 13 percent below the 100-day average. Prices fell 0.9 percent last week.
•Brent for September settlement slid 14 cents to $108.08 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark crude traded at a premium of $2.02 to WTI contracts. The spread narrowed on Aug. 9 for the first time in six days to $2.25

•Gold climbed to the highest level this month after holdings in the biggest bullion-backed exchange-traded product expanded for the first time since June. Platinum advanced for a fourth day to a two-month high. •Bullion for immediate delivery rallied as much as 1.5 percent to $1,333.94 an ounce, the highest price since July 31, and traded at $1,331.69 at 2:05 p.m. in Singapore. Gold for December delivery climbed as much as 1.6 percent to $1,333 an ounce on the Comex in New York and was at $1,330.40.



Equities

•Asian stocks outside Japan rose as Chinese property developers and commodities companies climbed. Japanese shares fell after growth in the world’s third-largest economy slowed more than forecast.

•The MSCI Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index advanced 1 percent to 444.77 as of 2:30 p.m. in Hong Kong. All 10 groups on the gauge rose. More than two stocks climbed for each that dropped. China’s Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP), now at the cheapest valuation of the world’s top 10 stock markets, added 2 percent, on course for the highest closing level in two months

•European stocks have risen half as much as global benchmarks this year, leaving them cheaper than equities in the U.S. and Asia as the region’s economy starts to recover from the longest recession on record.
•After a 7.2 percent gain in 2013, the Euro Stoxx 50 Index (SX5E) trades at 12.5 times projected earnings, 6.7 percent less than in 2009, the last time the euro area was in the final quarter of a contraction, data compiled by Bloomberg show. In the U.S., where the economy is in its 10th straight quarter of growth, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is valued at 15.3 times estimated profit and Japan’s Topix trades at 14.2 times income after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to end two decades of deflation.

•U.S stocks fell for the week, with benchmark indexes posting the worst losses since June, as better-than-estimated data on trade and service industries fueled concern the Federal Reserve may reduce its stimulus.
•The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 1.1 percent to 1,691.42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 232.85 points, or 1.5 percent, to 15,425.51. Both gauges capped their worst week since June 21 after closing at records on Aug. 2.