Currency News

Norway’s retail sales surge for second month in March

Retail sales in Norway grew for a second straight month in March, the latest data by Statistics Norway showed. Sales rose 0.3% in March over February, following a revised up 0.2% increase in the prior month. Sales of other goods rose further in March (2.8% compared to 1.6% in February), while sales of food and […] Read more

France’s consumer sentiment weakens in April

Consumer sentiment in France was a bit weaker in April over the prior month, data by INSEE showed. The consumer confidence indicator for France came in at a reading of 89.65 in April, down from 91.02 in March and also below market consensus of 92. The latest figure remained below the long-term average of 100. […] Read more

Spain’s Q1 unemployment rate rises to one-year high

Spain’s rate of unemployment was reported to have risen to its highest level since Q1 2023 in the first quarter of 2024. The unemployment rate came in at 12.29%, up from 11.8% in Q4 of 2023 and exceeding market consensus of 11.8%. In the latest quarter, the number of unemployed persons rose by 117,000 over […] Read more

GBP/JPY scales 15 1/2-year peak as BoJ keeps rates intact

The GBP/JPY currency pair advanced to a fresh 15 1/2-year high of 195.965 on Friday, after the Bank of Japan maintained its short-term interest rate intact at around 0% to 0.1% at its April meeting, in line with market expectations. The central bank also stuck with its March guidance to continue purchasing government bonds around […] Read more

US GDP growth slows for second straight quarter in Q1

The US economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.6% in the first quarter of 2024, a preliminary estimate showed, compared with a 3.4% growth in the preceding three months. The latest figure came well short of market consensus of 2.5% and marked growth deceleration for the second straight quarter. It has also been the […] Read more

Germany’s business confidence highest since May 2023

Business sentiment in Germany has increased to its highest level since May 2023 in April, the latest data by the Ifo Institute showed. The Ifo Business Climate indicator was reported at 89.4 in April, while improving from 87.9 in the previous month. In comparison, a consensus of analyst estimates had pointed to a reading of […] Read more

Euro Area’s April factory activity weakest since December

Euro Area’s manufacturing sector activity continued to shrink in April, data by S&P Global showed. The HCOB Eurozone Manufacturing PMI dropped to 45.6 in April, a preliminary estimate showed, from 46.1 in March. April’s PMI reading has been the lowest since December 2023. In comparison, market consensus had pointed to an improvement to 46.5. Still, […] Read more

Canada’s new home prices with no change in March

Prices of new homes in Canada have remained unchanged in March over February, after rising 0.1% in the previous month, the latest data by Statistics Canada showed. In comparison, market consensus had pointed to a 0.1% monthly increase. Home prices remained flat in 12 out of the 27 census metropolitan areas surveyed, increased in 9 […] Read more

Germany’s producer prices drop the least since July 2023

Producer prices in Germany registered the smallest year-on-year drop since July 2023 in March, the latest data by the Federal Statistical Office showed. Prices went down 2.9% year-on-year in March, after a 4.1% slump in the prior month. March has been the ninth straight month of producer deflation, as prices of natural gas plummeted 15.4% […] Read more

Philadelphia factory activity strongest since April 2022

Manufacturing activity in Philadelphia in April has been the strongest since April 2022, the latest data showed. The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index was reported at a reading of 15.5 in April, up from 3.2 in March. The latest figure was well above a consensus of analyst estimates of 1.5. The April reading has been the […] Read more