Economic & Politics

Financeroll – China’s manufacturing sector contracted in February for the fourth straight month as new export orders dropped sharply in the face of the euro-area debt crisis, the HSBC flash purchasing managers index showed on Wednesday. The PMI, the earliest indicator of China’s industrial activity, rose to a four-month-high at 49.7 in February from 48.8 [...]

Financeroll – In the Bank of Japan Minutes of the latest meeting on monetary policy, the central bank noted that caution over the impact of the European debt crisis is still needed. It acknowledged that the crisis in Europe could result in weaker growth not only in the European economy but also in the global [...]

Financeroll – Kiwi lifted by RBNZ Bollard comments on possibly higher Kiwi GDP, speaking at meeting of Trans Tasman Business Circle in Auckland, titled “Could we be better off than we think”. NZD/USD spiked to 0.8358, up from NY close of 0.8330, on RBNZ speech. While AUD/NZD dipped to 1.2860-70, from 1.2900 – on comments [...]

Financeroll – Business confidence has lifted again in January, on the back of continuing momentum from recent interest rate cuts, according to a survey by National Australia Bank Ltd. NAB’s monthly business survey found confidence rose to four points in January, after lifting to three points in December. Despite two consecutive months of improvement, the [...]

Financeroll – Australian home-loan approvals rose more than economists forecast in December, the ninth consecutive monthly increase, as buyers responded to central bank interest- rate reductions. The number of loans granted to build or buy houses and apartments increased 2.3 percent from November, when they rose a revised 1.8 percent, the statistics bureau said in [...]

Financeroll – Japan’s economy shrank 0.6 percent in October-December from the previous quarter as a global economic slowdown, Thai floods and a strong yen dealt a blow to the economy just as it was emerging from a recession wrought by last year’s devastating earthquake. The decline was bigger than economists’ median forecast for a 0.3 [...]

Financeroll – China's fourth-quarter current account surplus, the broadest measure of its trade balance with the outside world, fell 41% to $59.8 billion from $102.1 billion a year earlier, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said in a statement Friday. The fourth-quarter current account surplus widened slightly from $53.4 billion in the third quarter. The [...]

Financeroll – The Reserve Bank of Australia has lowered its inflation and growth forecasts for the first half of 2012 as uncertainty about Europe's debt crisis weighs on domestic household and business spending. The RBA expects underlying inflation to be about 2.25 per cent for the year to the end of June, 0.25 basis points [...]

Financeroll – Germany's trade surplus decreased more than expected by economists in December as exports dropped, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed Wednesday. The trade surplus declined to EUR 12.9 billion in December from EUR 15.9 in November. Economists had forecast a decline to EUR 13.7 billion. On a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis, [...]

Financeroll – Shop price inflation in January fell to its level since March 2010 as non-food price inflation evaporated, according to the latest report from the British Retail Consortium and Nielsen. The January BRC Shop Price Index was up 1.4% on the year, down from 1.7% in December, with non-food prices flat on the year. [...]