FINANCIAL MARKET REVIEW FOR JUN 05, 2018 Economic data released through the Asian session this morning included the May’s BRC Retail Sales Monitor numbers out of the UK, April household spending out of Japan, 1st quarter current account numbers out of Australia and China’s Caixin services PMI figure for May. On the policy front, the RBA is scheduled to announce its June interest rate decision and release its rate statement, which could contain more hawkish language following the latest retail sales and corporate gross operating profit numbers, though concerns over trade wars will likely temper the tone to a certain degree. For the Japanese Yen, household spending fell by 1.3% year-on-year, coming in short of a forecasted 0.8% rise, following March’s 0.1% fall. Month-on month, spending fell by 1.6%, also falling short of a forecasted 0.7% rise, following March’s 0.1% decline. The year on year decline was attributed to a 5.6% fall in spending on fuel, light and water charges, a 3.8% fall in spending on culture and recreation, a 2.5% fall in spending on clothing & footwear and a 1.2% fall in spending on transportation and communication, with spending on food down 0.8%. Partially offsetting the decline were a 9.9% rise in spending on furniture and household utensils, a 3% rise in spending on housing and a 2.5% rise in spending on education. The Japanese Yen moved from ¥106.920 to ¥109.952 against the Dollar upon release of the figures, before moving to ¥109.89 at the time of writing, down 0.06% for the morning, the household spending numbers yet more bad news for the BoJ. For the Aussie Dollar, the current account surplus narrowed from A$14bn to A$10.5bn in the 1st quarter, which was better than a forecasted narrowing to A$10bn. The Aussie Dollar moved from $0.076442 to $0.0.76464 upon release of the figures, with the Aussie Dollar having found strength off the back of the retail sales figures released on Monday. Out of China, the Caixin Services PMI held steady at 52.9 in May, which was in line with forecasts. The rate of activity growth remained unchanged from April, while new business saw a pickup in pace, supported by stronger client demand and new product offerings. In contrast to the manufacturing sector, the services sector continued to hire, with the rate of job creation the quickest in the last 4-months. As a result of a quicker pace of hiring, backlogs declined, with the pace of hiring reflecting improved optimism in the sector. The Aussie Dollar moved from $0.76464 to $0.76424 upon release of the figures. At the time of writing, the Aussie Dollar was down 0.09% to $0.7641, with focus shifting to the RBA interest rate decision and rate statement.
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